


Sword Art Online: The Dark Swordsman

by DarknessStorm



Series: The Dark Swordsman Series [1]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 119,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27341410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarknessStorm/pseuds/DarknessStorm
Summary: The world's first VRMMORPG has been released, Sword Art Online. 10,000 people were able to get a copy of the game. But there is a terrible price for playing it. Once you log onto the game, you can't leave. The only way to escape is to clear the game by defeating the final boss on Floor 100. Join Kirito and Marth as they make new friends and clear the game.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna, Konno Yuuki | Yuuki/Original Male Character(s)
Series: The Dark Swordsman Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996525
Kudos: 9





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This was the first story I have ever written and I don't think the quality is very good. I am only posting this to add context since this story is the beginning of a series that Accel World: The Black Wolf is a part of.

**Chapter 1- The World of Swords**

**November 6** **th** **, 2022**

A teenager with short brown hair and gray eyes that looked about fourteen was sitting at his desk watching the live broadcast on the first VRMMO, Sword Art Online. The reporter was talking about how the beta testers all gave positive reviews on the game and that the 10,000 hard copies of it sold out in seconds.

"Hey, Frank!" a female voice called out. "I'm going to soccer practice. I'll see you this evening."

"Okay Meg!" Frank answered back. "Be careful out there!"

Frank turned his computer off and plugged in his NerveGear. He inserted the Sword Art Online cartridge into the helmet and put it on. He then laid onto his bed and closed his eyes.

"Link Start!" Frank said while smiling. And with that, he entered the online virtual world.

Frank logged in using his beta tester data as "Marth". He then found himself at the plaza in the Town of Beginnings on Floor 1 of Sword Art Online. His outfit was a light blue long-sleeved shirt with grey metal elbow pads, long black pants, black fingerless gloves, brown boots, and a brown sword sheath strapped to his back. Marth made a fist with his hand.

"I'm back. Finally," the brown-haired swordsman said as all the other players started to log on.

"Hey, Marth!" a male voice called out, prompting the swordsman to turn and face a guy with black hair and had the exact same outfit as Marth except he had brown leather armor on his chest. The player had his hand extended out.

"Hi Kirito," Marth greeted his childhood friend as he shook his hand. "It's been a while. How've you been?"

"I've been good," Kirito replied as they let go. "You excited about playing SAO again?"

Marth nodded. "You bet!" he said cheerfully. "I've been waiting for this day ever since the beta test ended."

Kirito smiled in excitement. "How about we go do some hunting outside of town?" Marth nodded, and the duo took off, catching the attention of a red-haired swordsman with a red bandana, causing the latter to follow them.

"Hey, you two!" the man called out. "Wait up!" The duo stopped and turned to see the red head running towards them.

"Is there something you need?" Marth asked the new arrival.

The man nodded as he stopped running to catch his breath. "You two look like you know where you're going," the man said. "You guys were in the beta test, weren't you?"

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, why?" the black-haired swordsman asked curiously.

"Cool," the man said while putting his hand on Kirito's shoulder. "Can you two give me a few tips on the lower floors and about the gameplay?"

Marth's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't know," he replied hesitantly.

The man then put his hands together. "Please, guys. I'm begging you," he pleaded before pointing at himself. "Look my name's Klein."

Kirito then put his hand on his waist and said, "Alright. I'm Kirito."

"And my name's Marth," the brown-haired swordsman said.

**Later**

"Gah!" Klein exclaimed as he was knocked on his back by a Frenzy Boar. He trembled in pain due to him being hit in the groin. "Right in the nuts!"

Kirito sighed in disappointment. "Come on. Stop messing around," he told the beginner. "You can't feel any pain here."

Klein's eyes widened in shock. "Oh yeah, you're right," Klein said as he got up and faced the boar again. "How the heck am I suppose beat the dang thing if it keeps moving?"

Kirito picked up a pebble and moved his hand back. "If you do your initial motion right and activate a Sword Skill at the right moment," Kirito explained as the pepple started to glow red, indicating that he was activating a Sword Skill, "the system will pretty much guarantee that you'll always be able to hit your target." He threw the rock at the boar causing it to charge at him after the rock hit.

"Initial… motion?" Klein asked, completely confused.

Kirito drew his sword and stopped the boar in its tracks with the flat of the blade. He then looked at his best friend. "Think you can help him understand it better?"

The brown-haired swordsman chuckled. "Here's an easier way look at it," Marth explained. "Right before you attack, wait for a bit. When you feel the skill start to activate, drive it home."

"Drive it home?" Klein asked. The red-head then smirked and got into a stance with the blade of his curved single-edged sword resting on his shoulder. The sword then glowed red as he activated the «Reaver» Sword Skill. Kirito smirked at the sight before he kicked the boar in Klein's direction, prompting the latter to charge at the monster. He slashed at the boar's side, which reduced its HP to zero, causing the monster to shatter into blue polygons.

"Yeah!" Klein cheered as he held his arms up in victory.

"Good job," Kirito said as he sheathed his sword, "but those boars are about as weak as slimes in other games."

Klein faced the swordsman with a shocked expression. "Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me!" Klein said in disbelief. "I thought that thing was a midlevel boss!"

Marth laughed at the beginner's ignorance. "Yeah, as if," he said as more boars spawned in the distance.

Klein then activated another Sword Skill, which had him thrust his sword.

"Addictive, isn't it? Kirito asked the rookie.

"Yeah," Klein replied as he thrusted his sword again. "So these Sword Skills… There's a ton of them like blacksmithing and stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Kirito explained. "I heard the game has an unlimited variety of skills. All except for magic though."

"An RPG without magic, huh," Klein said. "That's a pretty bold decision man!" He activated «Reaver» skill once more and cheered in excitement when the Sword Skill finished.

"What do you think?" Marth asked the red-head. "It's kind of fun to move your body around as you fight, right?"

Klein faced brown-haired ex-beta tester. "Aw heck yeah," he said in excitement.

"So, you ready to keep going?" Kirito asked the red-head.

"You bet, man," Klein replied. "Let's keep going." The trio continued to hunt until the sun started to set. They were at a hill where Klein sat down to rest after all the monsters they killed.

"Man, when I look around, I can't believe that we're inside a game guys," Klein said in disbelief. "Man, whoever created this is a genius. It makes me glad I was born when I was."

"It's not that big a deal," Kirito said.

"Cut me some slack," Klein replied. "It's my first Full Dive."

"You've never used a NerveGear before today?" Marth asked curiously.

Klein nodded. "Yup. As soon as I got the money altogether, I went and bought all the hardware needed to play SAO," Klein explained. "I stood in line and scored one of the 10,000 hardcopies. Guess you could say that I was pretty lucky." He looked up at the two ex-beta testers. "But you guys were ten times as lucky for being able to beta test it. Only a 1,000 people got the chance to do that."

Kirito scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess we were lucky," he said.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I ask how far you both got in the beta?" Klein questioned.

"Eh, two months and I couldn't get past Floor 10," Kirito answered.

"Same," Marth added.

"But now I think I can get there within a month, easy," Kirito continued.

Marth chuckled at his friend's comment. "You would say something like that," the brown-haired swordsman said, causing Kirito to scratch his head in embarrassment again.

"Sounds to me like you're really into this, Kirito," Klein said.

The black-haired swordsman drew his weapon. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," Kirito replied as he stared at his sword. "During the beta, SAO was the only thing on my mind, day and night. In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. And even though it's a virtual world, I feel more alive here than I ever did in the real one."

He smiled lightly. "Anyway," Kirito said as he sheathed his sword and faced Klein, "You want to go do some more hunting?"

Klein eagerly faced the black-haired swordsman. "Yeah! Well I would, except," Klein said as his stomach growled. "I'm really hungry. I have to log out."

"Too bad the food here only satisfies your hunger virtually," Kirito said to the red head.

Klein smiled. "Yeah, that's why I ordered a pizza for 5:30," he replied.

"Wow!" Marth praised. "Talk about prepared."

"You bet," Klein said. "Besides the game can wait until I can get my pizza on."

Kirito then looked away from the rookie and whispered, "I guess."

Klein then stood back up. "Hey, I was just about to meet up with some people I know from another game," the rookie said as Kirito turned to face him, "I don't know what you two are up to after this, so if you guys want, you can friend them and hang with us."

Both Marth and Kirito looked down. "No, it's alright if you don't want to, no pressure," Klein said quickly. "I could always introduce you guys to them another time."

Marth faced the red-head. "Yeah sorry," he said apologetically. "But thanks anyway."

"No worries," Klein said while putting his left hand on Kirito's shoulder. "I should be doing all the thanking. One of these days I promise I'll pay you both back for your help. Virtually, that is." He gave them a thumbs up when he said the last part.

"Yeah, right," Kirito replied.

"Seriously, thanks for everything you two," Klein said as removed his hand from Kirito's shoulder. "Guess I'll see you both around then."

"If there's anything else you want to know, message us," Kirito said as he extended his hand towards the rookie.

"Sweet," Klein replied as he shook the beta tester's hand. "I'll do that." The trio then added each other to their friends list.

He then walked away waving and opened his menu. Marth and Kirito turned to leave when suddenly. "Okay, I've got a stupid question for you two. Where's the log-out button?" Klein asked out loud.

"It should be at the bottom of the main menu," Kirito said.

Klein paused before answering, "Nope, it's not there."

Both Marth and Kirito then opened their menus and saw that Klein was right. There was no log-out button. The red-head then turned to face the duo.

"See, not there," Klein said.

"You're right," Kirito replied. "This is strange."

"You can say that again," Marth agreed.

"Oh well. It's the first day out of the beta," Klein said jokingly. "There's bound to be some bugs. I bet the server people are freaking out right now."

"You will too," Marth said as he pointed at the in-game clock on his menu. "Look, its 5:25."

Klein then formed a shocked look on his face. "Oh, my God!" Klein exclaimed as he held his head. "My teriyaki mayo pizza and ginger ale!"

"Why don't you just contact the Game Masters," Kirito told the rookie.

Klein quickly calmed down and said, "I've tried that, but neither of them are answering. Is there another way to log out?"

Kirito thought for a few moments before saying, "No. Whenever a player wants to log out from SAO, the only way they can do that is by going through the main menu."

"That can't be," Klein said in disbelief. "Return! Log out! Escape!"

The group waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.

"Told you so," Kirito said. "And there was no emergency log out in the manual either."

"No way, you're kidding. I know," Klein said before putting his hands on his head like he was taking something off it, "I'll just rip the NerveGear off my head."

"Don't bother," Marth replied, causing Klein to stop. "Once the Full-Dive is active, you can't move your body in the real world anymore. The NerveGear intercepts all commands from inside the game using an interface built into the rig."

Klein then faced the brown-haired swordsman. "Seriously?" Klein asked. "So now we have to sit around and wait until someone fixes the bug?"

"That, or until someone in the real world comes and takes the NerveGear off us. That's it," Kirito answered.

"But I live alone," Klein said. "What about you two?"

"I've got a mom and a sister," Kirito replied. "And I'm pretty sure they'll notice by dinnertime and…" Klein then quickly grabbed Kirito's shoulders.

"You-you've got a sister," Klein asked excitedly. "How old is she? What's she like?"

"Sh-she's into sports and hates games," Kirito said quickly. "She is totally not your type, man. She wouldn't date a gamer even if he was the last guy on the…"

"Who cares," Klein interrupted, "I want to…" Kirito kneed him in the groin, causing Klein to fall in pain. "Ow," Klein said before realizing. "Oh, yeah. We can't feel any pain here." He turned to the brown-haired swordsman. "What about you, Marth?"

"I've got parents and a sister," Marth said, Klein then perked up when he mentioned his sister. "Don't bother trying to ask about her, Klein. She's already dating someone else. Not to mention that she's probably too young for you."

"Get serious. Do either of you think this whole thing is weird?" Kirito asked suddenly.

"Yeah, totally," Klein replied. "But it's just a bug."

Kirito shook his head. "This isn't just a bug," Kirito explained. "If we can't log out, it's going to cause some serious problems for the game."

"You're right Kirito," Marth replied as he looked into the distance. "This'll definitely damage SAO's future."

"I wonder if the developers even know what's happening," Kirito wondered aloud. "Because they could just shut down the server and log everyone out. But why haven't they made an announcement?" Marth then helped Klein get back up.

The group was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a bell ringing. The trio then found themselves back at the plaza in the Town of Beginnings. They saw that all the other players were being teleported there too. Everyone looked confused about what's happening.

"Someone forced a teleport," Kirito realized. The bell stopped ringing.

"Look!" someone exclaimed. "Up there!"

Everyone looked up at the sky. There was a blood-red warning sign saying "System Alert" flashing there.

"Now what?" Marth asked himself.

The sign then expanded and blood started to drip down and then rose to form two giant blobs.

"What the heck are those?" Klein asked in a disgusted tone.

The blobs then changed into two huge men wearing red ponchos. What was very prominent was that neither of them had face due to them being concealed underneath a hood.

"Attention, players," the first man said with his arms raised. "I welcome you, to our world."

"What's he mean by that?" Kirito asked aloud.

"My name is Akihiko Kayaba," the man announced, "and the man beside me is my partner, Brandon Lowell. As of this moment, we are the sole people in control of this world."

This shocked everyone, especially Marth and Kirito. The men in the hoods were none other than the co-creators of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, as well as the CEOs of Argus Industries.

Brandon extended his hand towards the players. "I'm sure that most of you have noticed an item missing from your main menus, the log-out button," Brandon explained as he opened the menu to show it. "Let me assure you; this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was designed to be."

Marth and Kirito gritted their teeth when Brandon said the last statement.

"He's kidding, right?" Klein asked in a doubtful tone.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO. And no one from the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head," Kayaba said. "If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."

Many of the players protested in disbelief. Two people even tried to leave the plaza but were blocked by a force field.

Klein faced Marth and Kirito. "Are you guys listening to this crap?" Klein asked the two ex-beta testers. "They've got to be nuts, right?"

Marth shook his head. "They're not. The transmitter signals inside the NerveGear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain."

"Couldn't someone cut the power or…" Klein started to ask.

"That won't work," Kirito said. "The NerveGear has an internal battery."

Klein gritted his teeth in anger and shook his head. "This is totally crazy!" Klein exclaimed.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted to remove the NerveGears," Kayaba explained. "An unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than it did before. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."

"213?!" Kirito said in shock.

"No way," Klein said before shaking his head. "I don't believe it."

"As you can see," Brandon continued as videos started to appear around him and his partner. "International media outlets have round-about coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it is safe to assume that the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. We have also allowed the government to move all of your real bodies into hospitals to prevent an accidental death from famine. I hope that this gives you all some comfort as you try to clear the game."

Both Marth and Kirito were shocked when they saw their own families on the videos before the videos disappeared.

"It's important that you all remember the following," Kayaba explained. "There is no longer any way to revive anyone from within the game. If your HP hits zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

Marth's eyes widen in shock as he imagined himself being killed by a monster and clenched his fist in anger. Everyone was quiet for a few moments.

"There is only one way to escape now. You must clear the game," Kayaba continued as he opened a 3D map of Aincrad. "Right now, you're gathered on Floor 1, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you get through the labyrinth and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

Everyone protested in disbelief.

"We can't clear all 100 floors. It's freaking impossible," Klein said in shock before exclaiming, "Even the beta testers never made it that high!"

Brandon then lowered his hand. "Lastly," he told the players. "Kayaba and I have placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look."

Both Marth and Kirito opened their storage and saw that it was a mirror. They subsequently selected them, causing the items to materialize. Klein yelped in shock as blue light enveloped him.

"Klein!" Marth and Kirito exclaimed before they and everyone else were enveloped in the same light. When the light finally died down, everyone looked different.

"Marth. Kirito. You guys alright?" Klein asked the duo.

"Yeah, we're fine," Marth said before facing Klein and saw that the red head looked different. "Wait. Who are you?"

Both Klein and Kirito's hair were shorter than their avatars' hair were, causing some confusion. It took a few seconds for the trio to realize that all their avatars now looked like their real-life appearance. There was confusion everywhere.

"But, how…" Klein said in disbelief.

"The scan," Kirito explained. "There's a high-density signal device inside the NerveGear rig. It can see what my face looks like. But how does it know my height and body type?"

"When you first put the NerveGear on, it had to do this calibration thing. It asked you to touch your body all over," Klein said before making an example of it, "like this, remember."

"You're right," Marth agreed. "That's how it got our physical data."

Klein held his forehead with one hand. "But what's the point?" he asked. "Why would anyone do this to us?"

Kirito pointed at Kayaba and Brandon. "I think they're about to tell us," Kirito predicted. Both Marth and Klein turned to face the Game Master.

"Right now, you're probably wondering why," Brandon said. "'Why would Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell, the developers of both Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do this?' Ultimately our goal was a simple one. The reason why we created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of our design."

"Kayaba," Kirito said angrily, gritting his teeth.

"Brandon," Marth muttered in the same tone.

"As you can see," Kayaba continued. "We have achieved our goal."

Both Marth and Kirito clenched their hands in anger.

"This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online," Brandon concluded. "Players, I wish you the best of luck."

Kayaba and Brandon then disappeared and there was silence for a while. Marth examined his right palm and imagined it bleeding for a few seconds. " _It's not a game,_ " Marth thought as he clenched his fist. " _It's real. Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell created a virtual world. They designed the NerveGear rig. I've read about them a lot, so I know that everything they just said is the truth. If I die in the game, I'll die in real life._ "

A few more seconds passed before most of players shouted in disbelief. Some people begged to be let out of the game, but to no avail. Marth and Kirito then noticed that the force field was gone.

"C'mon Klein," Kirito said as grabbed Klein's hand and dragged him away with Marth close behind. They eventually stopped in an alleyway.

"Alright, listen," Kirito explained to the rookie. "Marth and I are heading out right now for the next village. I want you to come."

"Huh?" Klein asked confused.

Marth opened a map that showed most of Floor 1. "If what Kayaba and Brandon said is true, and we think it is," he explained. "The only way we can survive is by making ourselves as strong as possible. In an MMORPG, the money and XP you earn, once the game starts up there's only so much to go around."

Kirito nodded in agreement and pointed towards the field around the Town of Beginnings on the map. "Marth's right," Kirito took over. "It won't be long before the fields around the Town of Beginnings will be hunted clean. If we head for the next village now, we'll have an easier time collecting cash and points. Don't worry Marth and I both know all the paths and places we should avoid. Even at Level 1, the two of us can get there easy." Marth then closed his menu.

Klein lowered his head. "Thanks, but you know those friends I mentioned earlier," he said. "We stood in line for a whole night to buy this game." Klein's eyes widened in shock as he realized. "They must be back at the plaza, somewhere. And I can't leave them behind."

Both Marth and Kirito examined their own levels which were both 1. " _If it was just the three of us,_ " Kirito thought in doubt. " _But two more. Or even one more…_ "

"Sorry," Klein said suddenly, interrupting the black-haired swordsman's thoughts. "I can't just ask two guys I just met to help a bunch of strangers now, can I. So don't worry about me. Get your arses to the next village." He gave the ex-beta testers a thumbs up.

"I'll be fine," the red head continued, giving the duo a thumbs-up. "Last game I played, I ran a guild, so I'm more than prepared. And with all the stuff you two taught me, I'll be fine. No sweat."

Marth and Kirito turned to leave, but they didn't stop looking at the rookie. "Okay," Marth said reluctantly. "If that's what you want, Kirito and I will get going. But if you're in a jam, message us. Alright?"

Klein nodded. "Sure thing," he replied.

"We'll see you later, Klein," Kirito said, "Take care of yourself."

The ex-beta testers turned their backs to the red head and prepared to leave. "Kirito. Marth," Klein called out, causing the two to stop. "You guys look better as this." The duo then turned to face the rookie. "Way cooler than your avatars."

Kirito smiled and said, "And that scruffy face of yours fits you ten times better too." The ex-beta testers then took off running. After going a few feet, they stopped and saw that Klein was gone.

"There's nothing we can do now," Marth said, causing Kirito to face him. "Klein's the type of guy who won't abandon his friends no matter what. We just have to hope that we'll see him again."

Kirito nodded, but he still had a tinge of sadness in his eyes, like his friend had in his. The duo proceeded to run out of the village and into the plains. They both thought about their families and wondered if they'll ever see them again.

Two wolves then spawned in front of the two players. The players quickly drew their swords and charged at the monsters. " _We've got this,_ " Marth thought. " _We can do this. This world can't beat either of us._ " All four of them jumped into the air. Both Marth and Kirito activated «Rage Spike» which killed the two monsters.

" _We will survive,_ " Kirito thought before he and Marth screamed out in rage.


	2. The First Quest

**Chapter 2- The First Quest**

**The Next Day**

Marth and Kirito had successfully made it to the village of Horunka and were searching for the inn. "We have to get the quest we need if we're going to survive here," Marth said.

Kirito nodded. "If not much was changed from beta test," Kirito theorized, "then the inn should right over there." He pointed towards a building, and it was indeed the one they were looking for.

"We shouldn't rely on our beta tester knowledge though," Marth said. "Chances are that some things are different than they were in the beta."

"Yeah, we definitely can't let that go to our heads," Kirito replied. "For all we know, there could be monsters that have a lethal poison spike when they didn't during the beta."

Marth opened the door and the duo went inside. They sat at a table and a female NPC then walked toward the party. "I'm sorry," the woman said, "but I don't have any food at the moment. Can I compensate you with some water?"

Marth and Kirito noticed something was simmering in a pot. "Yes," Marth replied. "Water sounds fine." The NPC then brought two cups of water and set them in front of the duo. They then heard a child coughing on the other side of a door nearby.

"Is something wrong?" Kirito asked, even though he already knew the answer. The NPC then lowered her head. "It's my daughter," she explained. "She's really sick and her illness can't be treated with medicine from the market. The only way to cure her is for her to drink medicine created from the ovules of a Little Nepenthes, a predatory plant that inhabits the forest in the west. But those plants are extremely dangerous, and the ones that actually bloom are rarely seen, so I can't try to get them myself."

"We could go get it for you," Marth offered, causing the woman's eyes to brighten.

"Thank you," the NPC said. "If you two manage to get the ovules, I'll give both of you a long sword that's been handed down from my family." The words "Quest Accepted" appeared on top of the NPC's head, which quickly disappeared.

The duo headed out of the village and towards the forest. After they entered the forest they started to kill any Little Nepenthes they could find. They eventually ran into another player named Coper.

"Hey, are you two doing that medicine quest from the village nearby?" Coper asked the party.

Marth nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm guessing you're doing it too. But who are you?"

"My name's Coper," the player introduced. "I was one of the beta testers. And you guys are?"

"I'm Kirito," the black-haired swordsman said, "and this is my friend Marth. We were beta testers too."

Coper's eyes widened. "You were?" Coper replied. "I have an idea. How about the three of us work together to complete the quest so we can all get the reward?" Both Marth and Kirito looked at each other before reluctantly agreeing. Kirito sent Coper a party invite, which the latter accepted. Kirito and Marth then continued on ahead with the other beta tester walking behind. Unbeknownst to the duo, Coper had a mad grin on his face.

"What do you make of him?" Kirito asked his partner quietly.

Marth shrugged. "I don't trust him," he answered in the same volume. "He gives off a bad vibe. We need to keep an eye on him."

Kirito nodded. "Alright," he said. "But we better play it cool or Coper will get suspicious."

Hours passed as the now trio killed monster after monster. Finally, three Little Nepenthes appeared. Two of them had flowers while the third had a fruit instead.

"There!" Marth exclaimed as soon as he spotted them. He and Kirito then rushed at the plant monsters with the flowers. They each used a Sword Skill to kill the two monsters, resulting in them both getting the quest item.

"Yes!" Kirito said excitedly. "We got lucky that two of them showed up." Coper then surprised the duo by attacking the Little Nepenthes with the fruit.

"What are you doing?" Marth asked the beta tester in shock.

"Getting what I came for," Coper said calmly as he killed the monster. "I'm getting that sword even if I have to kill the both of you to do it."

Suddenly, tons of Little Nepenthes appeared and started to surround the group. "Drat," Marth said angrily. "That weasel deliberately activated a trap. We gotta get out of here."

"Yeah," Kirito agreed. "Let's move."

The duo fought their way through the monsters and briefly saw the surprised look on Coper's face when the monsters attacked him, despite Coper using his «Hiding» skill. Eventually Coper was overwhelmed by the monsters and was killed, while Kirito and Marth barely managed to escape.

After a lot of running, the duo decided to take a break by a rock. "What was that idiot thinking?" Marth asked in frustration as he took heavy breathes. "Why would he deliberately activate a trap like that and try to kill us?"

"It looks like Coper was willing to do anything it took to make sure he got the quest item," Kirito replied. "He must have activated that trap to try and kill us so he could steal the item from one of us and maintain his green cursor. If he had attacked either of us, his cursor would've turned orange and he wouldn't be able to go into towns again until his cursor returned to green."

"Yeah. Seems so," Marth said. "But it's obvious that despite him having been in the beta test, Coper didn't know that the «Hiding» skill doesn't work on monsters that don't rely on sight, like the Little Nepenthes, which rely on smell instead of sight."

Kirito nodded. "It's a shame really," he said, causing his partner to face him. "If he had enough patience, we would've been able to get the quest item for all of us."

Marth looked at the clear blue sky. "Coper's arrogance as a beta tester is what killed him. We have to be careful if we're going to survive in this death game. It wouldn't do for us to make the same mistakes he did."

A few moments passed before the duo got up and headed back to town. They entered the inn and turned in the quest item to the NPC. "Thank you so much," the NPC said with a smile. She then gestured the group to follow her and led them to a secret room with a chest in the middle.

"Open it," she told the duo. Marth approached the chest and opened it. Inside were two Anneal Blades. He took one and handed the other one to Kirito.

"Use them well," the NPC said before leaving the room. The words "Quest Cleared" appeared in front of the party before quickly disappearing.

"That was different from the beta," Marth said as he set the Anneal Blade as his equipped weapon.

"Yeah. Maybe the developers changed it to that if the quest was cleared by a party," Kirito replied as he did the same.

They left the room and saw the woman caring for her daughter. A small tear escaped both of them as the scene caused each of them to remember their own younger sister. Since it was evening, the duo decided to stay at the inn for the night. They both rented a room and once inside, they unequipped their weapons and boots.

" _I have to survive,_ " Marth thought to himself, " _It's the only way I can see my family again. I have to fight if I'm going to free all the other players from this death game._ " He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Marth woke up to the sound of knocking on his door. He re-equipped his sword and boots before he opened the door. He saw that it was Kirito.

"Hey Marth," Kirito greeted his friend, "Slept well?"

Marth shrugged. "In a way, yes," he answered. The duo headed down to the mess hall and started to eat breakfast.

"It might be a good idea for us to split up," Kirito said as they ate. "That way we won't have to worry about hindering the each other."

Marth looked at the black-haired swordsman, puzzled. "I sort of understand that. But if we do that, we'll have to be even more careful because we'll be fighting alone."

Kirito nodded. "Trust me, I know," he said. "But this may be the only way for us to get as strong as possible quickly. Remember, going solo grants you more XP and you won't fight with other players when you get a rare item."

Marth let out a sigh. "Alright. You win," the brown-haired swordsman replied. "But let's promise that if either of us gets in a jam, we message the other for help, okay?"

"Deal," Kirito said as he extended his hand. "It's been fun traveling with you again. Be careful out there, Marth."

Marth shook his friend's hand. "Yeah. The same goes for you, Kirito," he replied.

Kirito opened the menu and chose to disband the party. After they finished eating, they left the inn and parted ways. Once he was out of town, Marth started to run out the gate. " _Time to head to the next village,_ " Marth thought, " _I've got to get stronger. For everyone's sake._ "


	3. Beaters

**Chapter 3- Beaters**

A month has gone by since SAO began. Floor 1 has yet to be cleared and about 2,000 players have died so far. Marth has just arrived in the town of Tolbana where a meeting between the best players in SAO will discuss how to find and beat the Floor 1 boss. Even though Marth was a beta tester, even he hasn't found the boss room in the Labyrinth dungeon. When it was time for the meeting to begin, all the attending players headed to the town center, which resembled an outdoor theatre.

Marth saw that Kirito was there too and sat next to him. "Good to see you're still alive, Kirito," Marth greeted, causing the latter to face him. "I'm guessing you've gotten stronger since we last met."

Kirito smiled and nodded. "Yep. I gained seven levels and improved my skills a lot. What about you?"

"Same with me. I even learned a few new Sword Skills too."

"Nice." Kirito gave his friend a fist bump. Suddenly the commotion stopped when a blue-haired man in metal armor appeared.

"It looks like everyone is here," the man said. "Let's get this meeting started then. My name is Diavel. In this game, the role I chose is knight!"

A lot of the other players laughed. "Dude, there's no class system in this game!" one player chided.

Diavel quickly recovered and took on a more serious expression. "Listen up. My party has found the boss room at the top floor of the Labyrinth today." Everyone else gasped in shock.

"First we need to defeat the boss and make it to Floor 2," the knight continued. "Then we need to tell everyone that's waiting in the Town of Beginnings that it _is_ possible to beat this game. Fact is, it is our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree or not?" Most of the players nodded in agreement and applauded. Marth and Kirito even cracked a grin.

Diavel smiled with pride. "Glad to see that you're all with me on this. Here's what we'll do. We'll split into parties of six."

Both Marth and Kirito gasped in shock as they watched other players around them form parties with each other.

"A single party won't stand a chance against a Floor Boss," Diavel explained. "We need a raid group made up of multiple parties."

Kirito looked his friend in the eye. "Wanna partner up?" the black-haired swordsman offered.

Marth nodded. "Sure." He quickly accepted the party invite from Kirito. "We should find at least two more members, just to be safe. There's strength in numbers."

"Agreed." Kirito then noticed a player wearing a red cloak and a rapier strapped to their waist. The player wasn't sitting with anyone else, prompting the duo to scooch over to them. "Did you get left out too?" he asked the player.

"Not even." The player had the voice of a teenage girl. "It's just… everyone seems to already be friends. I chose not to intrude."

"So you're solo too?" Kirito questioned. "Do you want to join our party?"

The player looked at the duo curiously.

"You heard what that guy just said," Marth explained. "We can't beat the boss on our own, and it'll only be for this fight."

The player hesitantly nodded, prompting Kirito to send the party invite to her, which she accepted. Her HP gauge then appeared in the top left corner of the beta testers' vision, revealing her name to be "Asuna".

"Now we just need one more member, then we'll be all set." Marth then felt someone tap on his left shoulder, causing him to subsequently turn in that direction and find the source being a girl with long black hair with long bangs that parted on both sides of her face. Her outfit consisted of a purple tunic, a black skirt, white leggings, and brown boots. She had red eyes and looked around Marth's age. She also had a shortsword strapped to her waist.

"Hey, are you guys in a party?" she asked curiously.

Marth nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Do you want to join or something?"

"Yes please. I don't know anyone here, and you were the first group I saw. So, can I join your party?"

"Sure," Kirito replied, already sending an invite to the girl. "We needed a fourth member anyway."

The girl quickly accepted the party invitation and said with a big smile, "Thanks. My name's Yuuki by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Yuuki," Marth replied. "I'm Marth and this is Kirito." He gestured to his friend, who simply cracked a small grin.

Yuuki then glanced over at Asuna, who hasn't said a word. "So who are you?" the brunette asked curiously.

"My name's Asuna."

Their conversation was interrupted when Diavel spoke up. "It looks like you're all partnered up. Now then…"

"Hold up a sec!?" a new voice shouted. A man with spikey orange hair jumped down to where Diavel was and turned to face the audience. "My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we talk about the boss, there's something I wanna get off my chest. We all know about the 2,000 players that died so far, right? Well some of you need to apologize to them right now!"

Everyone was confused by Kibaou's accusation.

"Who are you talking about, Kibaou?" Diavel questioned.

"The ex-beta testers, obviously!"

Both Marth and Kirito's eyes darkened with remorse.

"The day this stupid game started, the beta guys just up and vanished!" Kibaou explained. "They ditched all us beginners! They snagged all the good hunting spots and they knew where all the easy quests were and didn't share them. They were the only ones getting stronger here. They just ignored us like we're nothing."

Kibaou then growled and glared at the audience. "Heck, I bet there are some of them here!" he continued. "Come on out, you cowards! We should make them apologize and fork over all the rare items and money they've got. How can they expect us to trust them when they don't trust us? Why should we?"

Both Marth and Kirito became increasingly nervous. If Kibaou got his way, then they would need to run and hide quickly.

Suddenly a deep voice said, "Can I say something?" A large man with dark skin rose from his seat. He was bald and had a small, dark brown mustache. He wore a short sleeved white tunic, a gray vest and pants, black boots and fingerless gloves. He also had a two-handed axe strapped to his back.

The man went over to Kibaou, who was intimidated by his tall build.

"My name's Agil," the man said. "Kibaou, right? I wanna make sure I'm on the same page. You want the ex-beta testers to apologize for the players' deaths because they didn't help them, and you want to make them give up their winnings. I leave anything out?"

"No," Kibaou grunted, not liking where this was going.

Agil then brought out a small, brown book. "The item store gives these out for free. It's a guidebook. I'm assuming you have one, right?"

"Sure, I've got one. So, what about it?"

"You know who made these? The ex-beta testers." Most of the crowd gasped in shock while Agil turned to face them. "Did any of you bother to read the book at all?"

"No. Why should I?" one player retorted.

"Yeah, guidebooks are lame," said another.

Agil sighed in disappointment. "That's a shame, because the guidebook contains all the information that the beta testers had collected during the beta test. It's got the locations of good hunting spots, easy quests, and tutorials on how to understand the mechanics of SAO."

"Wait, seriously?!"

Marth looked over at Yuuki. "Did you read the guidebook?"

The swordswoman nodded. "Duh. We're in a game where we die in real life if we die here. If there's a way for me to get stronger quickly, you bet I'm gonna take it. What about you three."

"I read the book briefly," Asuna replied. "I mostly focused on understanding item usage and combat, though."

"Marth and I were beta testers, so we didn't need the guidebook," Kirito added.

Both Asuna and Yuuki gasped in shock. "You guys were beta testers?!" Yuuki questioned, making sure her voice wasn't loud enough for the other players to hear.

Agil then cleared his throat as he put his guidebook away. "That's not all," he continued. "During the first few hours of SAO's launch, many of the beta testers gave lessons to new players, coaching them on how to understand combat and other essential skills to play SAO. Everyone had equal access to these resources, but even so, lots of players still died, with some of them being beta testers themselves. Look, I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone. I'm here to learn from those players' deaths. I'm here so we can find out how to beat the boss."

Both Marth and Kirito stared at the axe-user in awe. Agil turned towards Kibaou, who grunted in annoyance and took a seat in the bleachers, pouting over his defeat. Agil then returned to his seat.

"Okay," Diavel said finally, "can we get back to the meeting now?" Most of the players nodded. Diavel then brought out his copy of the guidebook. "For info on the boss, it's all in here. The latest edition of the guidebook you just heard about." Many players were surprised by this revelation.

Diavel opened the book and read aloud, "According to the book, the Floor 1 boss is named Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries and axe and a buckler. He has four HP bars and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a Talwar. His attack patterns will change too when this happens." The knight put the book away. "That concludes the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everybody. The party that kills the boss, gets the XP, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?"

No one gave a response. "Good," Diavel continued. "We leave tomorrow at ten in the morning. Meeting adjourned, people!" Some players got up and left, while others chatted with their friends. Kirito noticed Asuna walk away. Unbeknownst to him and Marth, Diavel briefly stared at them with suspicion.

**That Evening**

The players were throwing a small celebration for the first attempt of the Floor 1 boss. Marth and Kirito met up with Yuuki, and quickly found Asuna sitting by herself eating a roll of sour bread.

"Those are pretty good, aren't they?" Kirito asked the fencer. "Mind if we join you?" Asuna didn't object, prompting her party members to sit by her, with Kirito being the closest.

They then brought out their own bread rolls and took a bite from them.

"You really think these taste good?" Asuna questioned.

Kirito nodded. "Since I came to this town, I try to eat one once a day. Of course, I've got a trick on how to make it taste better." He materialized a yellow vial and placed it between him and Asuna. "Try it with some of this."

Asuna tapped the lid with her finger, causing the tip to glow. Kirito then told her how to apply it to her bread. Once she did so, she was surprised what it was.

"Cream?" she said in confusion. Kirito then put cream on his roll, but the vial shattered into polygons soon afterward. After watching Kirito continue to eat his roll, Asuna took a bite from her roll. She then paused before quickly wolfing down the bread roll and sighing.

Yuuki's eyes filled with envy. "That looks good. Do you have any more for me to try?"

"I've got some." Marth brought out his vial and set it between him and Yuuki.

The swordswoman immediately applied cream to her roll and took a bite. "Tasty!" she cheered before quickly finishing the bread.

The vial shattered once Marth applied cream to his bread roll. Like Kirito, he chose to eat more slowly than the girls.

"Marth and I got them in the 'Heiffers Strikes Back'," Kirito explained. "It's a repeatable quest you get from the village before you get to this one. You wanna know how we did it?"

"Yes please!" Yuuki said eagerly.

Asuna, on the other hand, didn't share the same enthusiasm. "I appreciate the offer, but I didn't come to this town to eat good food."

Marth raised an eyebrow. "So why are you here?"

"So I don't lose sight of who I am," Asuna answered. "I don't want to lock myself up in a room in the Town of Beginnings and slowly rot away." She cupped her hands together. "Even if a monster beats me and I die, I won't lose… to this game or this world. No matter what."

Kirito ate the last of his roll and looked directly at the fencer. "I wouldn't want a party member dying on me, so try not to die tomorrow."

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?!" Yuuki protested. "What about me?!"

Marth chuckled while Kirito looked embarrassed. "That applies to you too, Yuuki," Marth replied. "Kirito and I always look after our teammates."

Yuuki gave her fellow party members a playful smile, indicating that she was teasing.

**The Next Day**

True to Diavel's word, the raid group left Tolbana at the appointed time. Before they left, each party was assigned to specific tasks. They were currently traveling through a forest to reach the Labyrinth, which was an enormous stone pillar that connected to the next Floor. To pass the time, Marth and Kirito decided to brief their teammates on their battle plan.

"We're the back-up," Kirito said to the swordswomen. "Our job is to defeat the Ruin Kobold Sentinels and keep them away from the main group."

"We'll work in pairs. Kirito and I will use a Sword Skill to knock their weapons away," Marth explained. "Once we do, Switch and jump in."

Both Asuna and Yuuki looked confused. "Uh, what's a 'Switch'?" Yuuki asked dumbly.

The male duo turned to the girls. "Level with me," Kirito said. "Is this the first time either of you have been in a party?"

Both Asuna and Yuuki nodded in confirmation. Marth and Kirito let out a heavy sigh before they explained what a "Switch" was. Switching was an Outside System Skill, which meant that it wasn't programmed in the game, but an exploit the players found out. It involves one player to deflect an opponent's Sword Skill with their own, and during the post-motion delay that occurs with use of any Sword Skill, a second player then attacks the defenseless monster with a Sword Skill.

**Later**

The raid group had arrived at the boss room and was standing right outside. Diavel was in front, facing his fellow players.

"I've got one thing to say to you all," Diavel addressed. "Let's win and show everyone that this game is beatable!"

Most of the players cheered and drew their weapons as Diavel opened the doors to the boss room. The players marched inside the darkened corridor when it suddenly lit up and revealed a large red kobold with a brown loincloth and a metal helmet sitting on a throne. The monster roared before jumping off his throne and landed in the center of the corridor. True to the guidebook, the boss was identified as Illfang the Kobold Lord and had four HP bars, as well as an axe and a buckler. Soon the Ruin Kobold Sentinels spawned in front of Illfang and they all charged at the players.

"Commence attack!" Diavel shouted as he aimed his sword at the monsters.

The players charged at Illfang and his minions, with Kibaou in the lead, who clashed with a Ruin Kobold Sentinel.

**Later**

All the parties were doing their assigned roles. "Squads A and E, switch in!" Diavel commanded. The two groups obeyed and attacked the boss. Illfang roared in rage as he prepared a counter-attack, but Diavel had Squad B block his attack.

"Squad B, keep blocking and prepare to switch!" Diavel then turned around. "Squads C, D, and F, keep those minions off us!"

"On it," Marth replied as he and Kirito each charged at a Ruin Kobold Sentinel. The Sentinels attempted to strike the swordsmen with a Sword Skill, but they countered with «Slant». Once their attacks finished, Marth and Kirito looked at Yuuki and Asuna respectively and said, "Switch!"

Both swordswomen nodded and charged at the monsters the respective boys were fighting. Asuna activated «Linear», stabbing the first at high speed while Yuuki attacked the second with «Lunar», another high-speed Sword Skill.

" _For beginners, they're not half bad,"_ Marth thought in awe. _"They're both so fast. I can't even see the tips of their swords."_ Kirito was equally impressed by the girls' skills.

Suddenly Illfang let out a loud roar, catching the attention of all the players. He was on his last HP bar and it was in the red zone. The boss promptly threw his axe and shield away.

"Stay back!" Diavel shouted as he charged at the boss. "I've got it!"

Kirito looked confused as he blocked a Sentinel's mace with his sword. "I thought the plan was for everyone to surround it and attack together," he said.

"So did I," Marth said before he struck the preoccupied Sentinel with «Rage Spike».

The ex-beta testers faced Diavel, who gave them a brief glance before focusing back on the boss. As the knight activated a Sword Skill, Illfang drew a one-edged sword with a v-shaped tip, shocking the duo.

" _That's not a Talwar! It's a Nodachi!"_ Kirito thought. _"This isn't like the beta!"_

"Stop Diavel!" Kirito shouted. "It's no good!"

"He's right!" Marth exclaimed. "Get out of there now!"

Unbeknownst to them, Kibaou took note of their outburst. Sadly, the duo's pleas fell on deaf ears as Diavel attacked the boss, but Illfang dodged by jumping from pillar to pillar, confusing the knight. Illfang then landed in front of him and slashed him across the chest with Hiogi, sending the player backward. The boss wasn't done, however, as he attacked Diavel again with «Ukifune», launching the knight to the back of the group.

"Diavel, no!" Kibaou shouted as Illfang jumped and landed in front of him and his group before roaring.

"Diavel!" Kirito shouted as he and Marth ran to the wounded knight and knelt beside him, noticing Diavel's HP continuously dropping.

"What the heck were you thinking?" Marth asked as he tried to give Diavel a health potion, but Diavel stopped him.

"You know why," the knight answered. "You guys were beta testers too, right?"

Both Marth and Kirito gasped in shock, realizing the reason for his recklessness.

"You were after the «Last Attack Bonus»," Kirito said. "The rare item. You're just like us, a beta tester."

Diavel forced a smile as his HP hit zero. "Please, you have to defeat the boss." His body began to glow. "For everyone here." Diavel's body then shattered into polygons, filling all the players with grief.

" _When this death game started, the only thing I thought about was how I was going to survive. Nothing else mattered,"_ both Marth and Kirito thought as they flashbacked to when they ditched Klein back at the Town of Beginnings.

" _But you weren't like that, Diavel,"_ Kirito thought. _"You never abandoned the other players. You brought them together and fought brilliantly. You tried to accomplish something me and Marth couldn't."_

Marth and Kirito rose to their feet, facing the boss. Yuuki and Asuna quickly stood by their party members.

"I'll go too," Asuna said, knowing what the boys planned to do.

"Don't forget me!" Yuuki added.

Marth nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay." The quartet charged at the boss. "We'll hit him just like the minions!"

"Got it," the others replied.

Illfang sent another player flying when he noticed the four charging at him. The boss growled before activating «Tsujikaze» and charged at them. Kirito howled as he activated «Rage Spike», his sword glowing blue in the process. He managed to deflect Illfang's attack and shouted, "Switch!"

Asuna moved in towards the boss, her rapier's blade glowing pink as she prepared to strike with a Sword Skill. Suddenly Kirito noticed Illfang's eyes glow for a split second!

"Asuna!" he cried out in warning.

The fencer gasped as she saw Illfang's attack and dodged it, but her cloak was destroyed in the process, revealing her long chestnut colored hair. Asuna let out a battle cry as she continued with her attack, stabbing the boss multiple times in the stomach. Illfang was sent backward from the recoil.

Both Marth and Kirito stared at Asuna in awe. They then noticed Illfang quickly recover and charged again.

"He's coming back!" Marth shouted before he charged at the boss. He quickly parried Illfang's sword with his own, allowing Yuuki to strike the boss with a Sword Skill.

Illfang attempted to strike Yuuki while she was frozen, but Marth came to her rescue and parried each of his attacks. Frustrated, Illfang activated «Gengetsu», prompting Marth to attempt to block with «Vertical». Unfortunately, Marth misread the attack, causing him to miss and allowing the boss to slash him across the chest. The player was then sent recoiling into his teammates, knocking them all off their feet.

Yuuki, Asuna and Kirito quickly sat up and saw that the swordsman's HP was reduced by half. Illfang then got in front of the four players and prepared to finish them off with a Sword Skill, his weapon glowing red. The three players raised their swords in a desperate attempt to block the attack, when suddenly Agil let out a battle cry as he parried the boss's attack with «Whirlwind», sending the boss backward.

Soon the other players joined the fray and began attacking the boss.

Agil glanced over at the downed four and said, "We can hold this bastard off until your health's back up."

Marth gave the axe-user a forced smile. "Okay," he replied before Agil hurried to the others. Marth quickly drank a healing potion, restoring his HP to full.

The four watched as the other players attacked the boss and seemed to be winning. However, Illfang quickly turned the tables by knocking them all off their feet before jumping high in the air. The boss then activated «Tsumujiguruma» and prepared to finish them off as he descended.

Kirito quickly rose to his feet and charged at the boss while shouting, "Watch out!" He put his sword behind his back to activate «Sonic Leap» before jumping towards the boss. "You're going down!" Kirito yelled as he struck Illfang's left side, sending the boss crashing into the ground. The swordsman then landed back on the boss and charged one last time.

"Marth, Asuna, Yuuki!" he shouted to his party members. "Let's beat this sucker! One last attack!"

"You got it!" Asuna exclaimed as the trio ran to their teammate's aid.

"This guy's toast!" Yuuki cheered.

"Let's go!" Marth yelled.

Illfang was still dazed from the crash but quickly recovered when he saw the four players charging at him. He tried to defend himself with a Sword Skill, but Kirito deflected it with his own, allowing Asuna and Yuuki to strike the boss in its stomach. Marth and Kirito then yelled as they activated «Vertical Arc», striking the boss at the same time. The attack sent Illfang high into the air. His body glowed blue for a few moments before shattering into polygons.

All the players watching were filled with disbelief. They soon cheered as the word "Congratulations" appeared for a few seconds. Some of the players even leveled up as loot and XP was distributed. Both Marth and Kirito dropped to their knees in exhaustion. They looked at the items they had received, they saw a notification saying that they had gotten the «Last Attack Bonus», which was an armor piece called the "Coat of Midnight".

Asuna, Yuuki and Agil approached the beta testers from behind. "Nice job," Asuna praised.

"That was some fine teamwork," Agil added. "Today's victory is all thanks to you."

"Yeah. That was awesome!" Yuuki cheered in excitement.

Kirito was about to say something but was cut off by the other players' cheering.

"Stop cheering!" Kibaou demanded, silencing all the players and getting their attention. He glared right at Kirito and Marth. "Why'd you two do it? Why'd you let Diavel die?"

"What are you talking about?" Marth asked in confusion. Kirito was equally as confused.

"You guys knew the boss's attack patterns, didn't you?!" Kibaou accused. "You could've told us, then Diavel would've stood a chance! He wouldn't have had to die!"

Most of the players then looked at each other suspiciously. "I know why they knew," one player with a lance near Kibaou said, pointing at the duo. "They used to be beta testers. Think about it, they knew the boss's attack patterns. They _knew_ , but they kept it from us! And I bet they're not the only beta testers here! C'mon, show yourselves!"

Asuna, Yuuki and Agil watched as players started to question each other.

" _This isn't good,"_ Marth thought. _"At this rate no one will cooperate with each other. SAO can't be cleared like this."_ He then remembered Diavel's last words and looked at the rare item he had received. Marth locked eyes with Kirito and knew what they had to do. They both gulped nervously and mentally prepared themselves.

Asuna, Yuuki and Agil went over to Kibaou and tried to reason with him.

"Hey, calm down," Agil said before being interrupted by a cynical laugh from both Kirito and Marth, turning all focus on them.

"So you guys think we used to be beta testers?" Kirito questioned as he and his partner rose to their feet. "It's not cool to associate us with those nubes."

Kibaou gasped in shock. "Wh-what'd you say?"

"You heard him," Marth said darkly as they slowly approached Kibaou. "Most of the thousand people that scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Heck, even you guys are better than them."

Everyone was taken aback by the duo's sudden change in attitude.

"But we're nothing like those guys," Kirito said as he and Marth walked passed Asuna, Yuuki and Agil, stopping in front of Kibaou. "During the beta, the two of us got to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. We knew about the boss, because we've fought countless other monsters with way more Sword Skills on higher floors."

Marth sneered. "We know a bunch of other things too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker."

Kibaou paused for a few seconds. "Wh-what the heck? If that's true than you two are worse than beta testers," he said before angrily remarking, "You guys are freaking cheaters?!"

Asuna and Yuuki watched as most of the other players angrily called their party members beta testers and cheaters. One of the players even called them "Beaters", a merged title of beta tester and cheater.

"A Beater," Kirito said when he heard it and faced his partner. "I like it. What about you?"

"Yeah," Marth replied smugly. "It suits me just fine."

All the angry players gasped in shock at the two newly named Beaters. The duo then opened their equipment menus and searched for a certain item. "Okay. You can call the two of us 'Beaters'," Kirito said. "Just make sure you don't confuse us with those beta testers anymore."

The Beaters found and equipped the Coat of Midnight, which was a black overcoat. They then gave Kibaou one last smirk before heading for the stairs at the end of the corridor. Kibaou was shocked at what just happened. Among the crowd, only Agil, Yuuki and Asuna figured out why the two beta testers acted the way they did.

Asuna and Yuuki ran to their party members and caught up with them at the top of the stairs, where a stone double-door was located.

"Wait," Yuuki exclaimed. "Let us come too."

Both Marth and Kirito had their heads down. "You don't want to hang out with us, Yuuki," Marth replied. "It's better if we go our separate ways, at least for now."

"But…" Asuna struggled to say.

"Listen, you can become powerful here on your own," Kirito told the swordswomen. "But if the day comes when someone you trust invites you to join a guild, don't turn them down, because there are limits to what a solo player can do."

Both Asuna and Yuuki looked at the duo, confused. "But… you guys are solo too," Asuna said.

"Yeah, well," Marth replied. "We kinda just destroyed any chance of us joining a guild just now." Meanwhile Kirito opened his menu and selected the Party option. He then selected the choice to dissolve the party. Marth and Kirito then approached the door, which opened on its own. They waved goodbye to Asuna and Yuuki before they climbed up the newly revealed stairway, heading for the next Floor.


	4. The Extra Skill

**Chapter 4- The Extra Skill**

**Floor 2: A Few Days after the Battle with Illfang**

Marth was on his own again fighting as a solo player. He was doing some level grinding in one of the far-off regions on the map. Due to his new identity as a Beater, many players are distrustful of him, so Marth had to travel far to train in peace. He was about to go do some more hunting when a message alert appeared in front of him. "What the…" Marth said as he checked it and saw it was from Kirito.

"'Hey, Marth. Argo just told me where players can get the Extra Skill «Martial Arts»,'" Marth read the message. "'How about we meet up and do the quest together?'"

"The Extra Skill «Martial Arts» huh?" Marth typed as a response. "Sounds like it'll come in handy if my sword breaks during a fight or something. I'm in!" He then hit the send button and quickly got a reply from Kirito on where they would meet up. Marth then hurried over to the meeting place and when he arrived, he saw his best friend leaning on a tree.

Kirito smiled when he saw his friend's arrival. "Hey Marth," he said to the brown-haired Beater. "Long time no see."

"It's good to see you again, Kirito," Marth replied. They then shared a fist bump and headed to where the Extra Skill quest was.

"So how did you get Argo to tell you where to get the «Martial Arts» skill anyway?" Marth asked curiously.

"I saved her from these ninja wannabes who wanted to force her to give them free information," Kirito explained. "As a reward, Argo gave me a one-time free info offer on anything. At first I jokingly asked what she looked like without the whiskers, but quickly changed it to why she had them. She told me that she had tried to do this quest during the beta, but never completed it. As a bonus, Argo also said where the quest was."

**Later**

The duo had reached a rocky cliff that looked about six or seven feet tall. "According to Argo," Kirito told his friend. "The quest is at the top of this cliff. Let's just hope that the developers didn't change the location for it to someplace that's far away from here."

Marth cracked a smile and nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "It would suck if we came all this way just find out that there's nothing here." They then laughed a little before they started to climb up the cliff. The climb took a while, but once they reached the top, the duo found a hut surrounded by trees.

"So far, so good," Marth said. The duo approached the hut with their swords ready in case a monster decides to attack. They found an old man sitting on a rock in front of the hut. When the duo approached him, the NPC turned his head to face them.

"Welcome young warriors," the man said. "Are you here to learn a new skill?"

Kirito nodded. "Yes, we are," he replied, activating the quest for both of them. The old man then brought out a container of face paint and drew whiskers on the duo's faces at inhuman speed.

"What the?!" Marth said in a shocked tone as he and Kirito tried to remove the paint. However it seemed that it was quick-dry paint because they couldn't wipe it off.

"You will be able to remove the whiskers once you have completed your training," the NPC explained and pointed towards a large rock pillar. "You must break that rock without using your weapons or special skills. The only things you're allowed to use are your palms. Good luck." And with that, the old man went back to his meditation.

The duo looked at each other. "I doubt breaking that rock is as easy as it sounds," Marth said. "It must be a nearly immortal object which makes it nearly impossible to break."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. But when are things ever easy?" the black-haired swordsman asked jokingly.

Marth chuckled. "Too true," he replied. "Things that are very hard typically have very good rewards. Who knows, maybe completing this quest and getting that Extra Skill will be worth it in the end."

They approached the rock and tried to break it by striking it with their palms. After thirty minutes, they were forced to stop due to the built-up pain they felt from the continuous strikes.

"Kinda sucks that the system only absorbs most of the pain we would feel instead of all of it, right," Marth said as the duo sat down with their backs against the rock.

"You bet," Kirito said. "The developers either wanted to make it so the players wouldn't feel invincible, or they were unable block out all the physical pain we would feel in the game."

They noticed that it was getting late, so the swordsmen decided to call it a night and continue the quest tomorrow. Kirito brought out a lantern and sleeping bags while Marth prepared dinner. Since the latter didn't have a «Cooking» skill, he just brought out food he got from town; although since Kirito didn't have one either, he didn't really complain.

"So what skills have you improved when we parted ways?" the black-haired swordsman asked his friend in-between bites.

Marth paused from eating to answer. "I've been working on my «One-Handed Sword» skill and I managed to increase my «Searching» quite a bit," Marth replied. "Then there's my «Parry» skill and my «Hiding» skill. I do plan on increasing my «Sprint» too."

Kirito was impressed. "Wow! You're doing a lot," he told his friend. "I managed to increase the same skills as you and I even managed to learn a new Sword Skill."

Marth nodded in approval. "Nice. It looks like we both are working hard to get as strong as possible."

Kirito smirked. "Yeah. Well since we're stuck in this death game we don't have much choice if we want to survive," he replied.

Since the area where they were camping was a Safe Zone they didn't have to worry about monsters attacking them while they were sleep. Once they finished eating, they got in their sleeping bags and looked at the night sky. There were a bunch of stars out, but none of them formed a constellation from the real world.

"I wonder where Kayaba and Brandon are right now," Marth said curiously with his arms crossed under his head. "Ever since they explained the rules of SAO, no one's heard anything about them."

"One thing's for sure," Kirito replied. "They're inside SAO. That much is clear. They're probably somewhere monitoring everything that's happening in the game. My guess is the Ruby Palace on Floor 100, but I could be wrong."

Marth shook his head. "No. That's a good theory," he said. "Whatever the case, I've got a feeling we'll run into them again someday. And when that day comes, we'll take them down and free everyone trapped inside SAO."

The black-haired Beater nodded. "Yeah. Thousands of players are counting on us to clear the game. We can't let them down."

The duo found that it was getting difficult to stay awake, so they said good night to each other and went to sleep. The next day they continued their attempts at breaking the rock to clear the quest, but they still couldn't so much as scratch it's surface. When Marth activated his Searching skill, he found a couple of monsters in the area.

"We might want to be careful wandering around here," he told his friend. "I'm detecting a couple strong monsters in the area."

Kirito smiled. "Hey. Maybe we should try to lure one of those monsters to attack the rock to see if it'll break," he said before shaking his head. "Nah, never mind. If we don't complete the quest using our own power, it won't mean anything."

Marth nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah," he replied. "Besides. Those monsters are probably there for players that are struggling to complete this quest."

The duo decided to take break and work on their other skills. Marth was working on «One-Handed Sword» and «Sprint» skills, while Kirito did the former but improved his «Searching» skill instead of the latter. After spending a couple hours on that, they went back to trying to break the rock. Their attempts lasted until the evening and were forced to stop due to the pain.

"Man. No wonder Argo didn't complete this quest," Marth said in exhaustion. "This is way too hard."

Kirito just shook his head. "There has to be some trick to completing it," he replied. "We just have to find it."

The next day came by quickly and it was back to training for the duo. After spending hours at punching the rock, Marth got an idea. "Hey, maybe we're doing this all wrong," he explained to the other Beater. "Maybe since we're in a party, we should try to strike it at the same time. Our combined strength should be enough to break the rock."

Kirito nodded. "It's worth a try," he said. "After all, what do we have to lose?"

The duo stood side by side and prepared to strike. "On the count of three," Marth said with Kirito nodding in response. "One. Two, Three!"

As soon as Marth said three, they punched the rock and finally managed to break it. It took a few seconds for them to realize what they did.

"Yes!" Kirito cheered while high-fiving his friend. "We finally did it!"

The duo headed to the hut to turn in the quest. "Well done you two," the NPC said when they approached him. "You have completed your training and learned that cooperating is the key to overcoming even the most difficult of trials. Use what you've learned in your upcoming battles."

The duo bowed in respect. "Thank you, sir," Marth said politely. "We won't let our training here go to waste."

The words "Quest Cleared" then appeared in front of the duo. They said goodbye to the NPC and headed back to town. Once they were at the cliff, they remembered that the paint was still on their faces and quickly removed it.

"Phew," Kirito said in relief. "Good thing we remembered that before we got to town. It would've been embarrassing if the other players saw us with whiskers painted on our faces."

Marth chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, we would never be able to live it down if that happened," he replied.

It was evening when they got back to town, Marth and Kirito went straight to an inn and got rooms there to freshen up after spending three days in the field. After having dinner, Marth and Kirito went to their rooms for the night. The next day, the Beaters had breakfast before going their separate ways once again.


	5. Red Nosed Reindeer

**Chapter 5- Red Nosed Reindeer**

**April 8** **th** **, 2023**

About six months has gone by since SAO began, and twenty-seven Floors have been cleared. Marth was still fighting solo on the front was wearing a new black overcoat with navy blue stripes, silver-plated chest armor, a black undershirt and pants, as well as cowboy boots and fingerless gloves with the same color. He had a new one-handed longsword with a silver-colored blade and a black w-shaped hilt. His sword sheath was black and strapped to his back.

Marth was currently in a forest on Floor 24 fighting a lizard-man monster equipped with a small curved sword and a wooden buckler. The monster activated a Sword Skill causing it to lung at the black-garbed swordsman. However, Marth saw the attack coming and easily dodged it. He then activated the 4-hit combo, «Vertical Square», while the monster was vulnerable, which finished it off as a square is drawn before dissipating. After the monster was defeated, Marth swung his sword around two times before sheathing it. He checked his HP gauge which showed that his max HP was 8,130 and he was level 40.

Marth let out a heavy breath. "Time to head back," Marth said to himself. The swordsman turned and headed to town.

**Later**

Marth arrived at the town during the evening. He decided to spend the night at an inn there since it was so late. Once he was at the inn and sat by a table, he chose to check his friends list and saw that Yuuki, Klein and Kirito were all still alive. Klein had formed a guild with the friends he mentioned back on Floor 1 called the "Fuurinkazan" and was able to get strong enough to join the Assault Team quite a while ago. Marth smiled with pride as he thought about how much the red head had improved since SAO's launch. Kirito, like Marth, was still a solo player and was currently on the lower Floors checking on some of the weaker players. Last Marth checked, Kirito's level was the same as his, so Marth didn't worry about his friend getting killed by monsters that were on the lower Floors.

Marth selected Kirito's name from the list and hit the message button. "Hey," Marth typed. "It's been a while since we last talked. How've you been since then? Anything new?" Once he finished typing, he hit the send button and waited for a reply.

After a few minutes had passed, a message alert came. When Marth checked, it was none other than Kirito. "I've been good," Kirito had responded with. "I'm at an inn on Floor 11 right now, and I've just joined a guild called the Moonlit Black Cats temporarily. I saved them from a group of monsters and we all went to an inn to celebrate. It's a small guild. Including me, there's only six members. When their leader asked me about my level, I kind of lied and said I was level 20, which is around their levels. He then invited me to join to help coach one of their players, a girl named Sachi."

Marth was surprised that Kirito had joined a guild, even if it was just temporary. Marth had avoided doing so himself because of his title as a Beater. "Okay," he replied in a message. "Just be careful. Who knows what could happen if they find out about you being a Beater. Message me if you need help."

A reply came quickly. "I will," Kirito responded. "I promise."

Marth sighed. _"I wish I had the option to do things like that,"_ he thought as he ate dinner. _"But due to me being a Beater, its best that I don't join a guild. Take care, Kirito."_

Marth's thoughts then turned to Yuuki. After they went their separate ways on Floor 1, Marth has met up with Yuuki several times since then. Yuuki thought that they should stick together since they made such a great team whenever they did, but Marth kept turning her down due to his status as a Beater. He didn't want her to get caught in the crossfire from the prejudice most players had towards Beaters, even though Yuuki kept saying that she didn't care about that.

" _I'm sorry Yuuki,"_ Marth thought in sorrow. _"Maybe one day, we'll be the team you want us to be."_

**A Month Later**

Marth was in the Sunshine Forest on Floor 20. Kirito had sent him a message if he could be an emergency back-up if a bunch of enemies surrounded the guild. Marth did agree to help even though Kirito had nothing to worry about. After using his «Searching» skill to track Kirito, Marth eventually found him in a group fighting a Killer Mantis, which was basically a human-sized praying mantis. The group, excluding Kirito, had four guys and one girl. The girl had a sword and shield, one guy had a spear, the second had a dagger and his outfit resembled your typical thief in RPGs, the third carried a mace and a shield, and the final one carried a two-handed staff.

The Killer Mantis attacked the girl, causing her to block with her shield. Even though Marth was meters away, he could tell that the girl was terrified. "Sachi!" Kirito exclaimed in worry as he quickly got between her and the monster. "Move back. I've got this!"

The girl, who Marth assumed was Sachi, then moved out of the way as Kirito cut off one of the monster's scythes. He then activated a Sword Skill to block the Mantis's attack.

"Come on Tetsuo," Kirito ordered. "Switch out." The guy with the mace then charged at the monster.

"Got it," Tetsuo replied. He then activated a Sword Skill and struck at the monster's mid-section, killing it. Tetsuo then cheered, causing Marth to assume that he just leveled up. The group then praised the mace-user for his achievement. Even Marth and Kirito were smiling. Suddenly, Marth detected multiple monsters heading their way, which were none other than more Killer Mantises. Kirito, who had detected his friend's presence since his arrival, faced Marth and gave a slight nod.

Marth quickly understood what it meant and quickly drew his sword. "Out of the way!" Marth exclaimed as he charged towards the monsters as they arrived. The guild, while shocked at the new arrival, did what they were told.

"Who's that?" Sachi asked in a scared tone.

"A friend of mine," Kirito answered plainly. The other guild members looked at Kirito with a puzzled look, but quickly faced Marth when the monsters surrounded him.

"Will he be alright on his own?" the staff-user asked worriedly.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah Keita," he replied as he went to join his friend. "He'll be just fine. Especially with me helping him."

The Moonlit Black Cats watched in awe as Marth and Kirito easily dispatched the monsters. After the monsters were killed, Marth took notice of Kirito's new equipment. He had the same overcoat as Marth, except his had a yellow crescent moon near the right shoulder, steel plated chest armor with black undershirt, black pants and fingerless gloves, and black boots with white outlines. He also had a new sword with a curved blue hilt. The duo then sheathed their swords.

The rest of the guild then thanked Marth for his assistance. "Thank you," Keita said. "Whoever you are, you really helped us out."

"Yeah, you're really good," Tetsuo followed up.

Marth scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "It was nothing," he said, trying to pass it off. "I was just in the area and decided to help out."

"So who are you?" Keita asked curiously. "Kirito said that you're a friend of his. Is that true?"

The brown-haired Beater nodded. "Yeah. The name's Marth," he replied as he extended his hand towards the guild leader. "Nice to meet you."

Keita took Marth's hand and shook it. "Good to meet you too. My name's Keita," the guild leader said before gesturing to the group. "This is our guild. The Moonlit Black Cats. The mace wielder is Tetsuo, the one with the dagger is Ducker, the lance is Sasamaru, and the girl with the sword and shield is Sachi."

The rest of the guild smiled and greeted brown-haired swordsman.

"Thank you for saving us," Sachi said relieved. "I was so scared when those monsters showed up that I couldn't move."

"Uh, no problem," Marth said. _"It's a miracle that this girl managed to reach level 20 with that kind of attitude. I wonder if something happened that caused her to be constantly afraid."_

"So Marth," Ducker asked the swordsman, causing the former to face him. "What level are you?"

Both Marth and Kirito inwardly panicked. _"If I say what my real level is, the others will wonder how I know Kirito and possibly question his own level,"_ Marth thought quickly. _"Should I lie or tell them the truth?"_

Marth then crossed his arms and thought for a few moments. "I'm level 29," Marth said plainly as he checked his HP gauge, which showed that he was actually twenty levels above that.

The guild, except Kirito, stared at the solo player in awe. "Wow!" Tetsuo praised. "You're that strong and still a solo player. Talk about cool!"

Marth then uncrossed his arms and sighed. "You're making me sound like your superior when I'm not," he replied. "I have to do my hunting out in the boonies. It's not very efficient."

"Hey. Kirito told us the same thing when he joined our guild about a month ago," Ducker said.

Kirito then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, and to change the subject. "We should probably head back to town," Kirito told the group. "This isn't exactly a safe place to chat. We don't want to be ambushed again."

Keita nodded in agreement. He told everyone to head back and also invited Marth to come with them. Despite wanting to get back to training on the higher floors, Marth accepted Keita's offer. Marth and Kirito stayed in the back of the group as they headed for town, so they could talk without being heard.

"Thanks for coming, Marth," Kirito said quietly. "It definitely made it easier to explain how we won against that swarm with two players instead of just by myself."

"Don't worry about it," Marth whispered back. "Although I do feel bad about lying about my true level, it would probably be suspicious on your part if I didn't."

"What level are you really?" Kirito asked in a hushed voice.

"Level 49," Marth whispered, "You?"

"48," Kirito replied back quietly, "I've had to do my hunting at night to increase my level without the others knowing."

When the group arrived in town, they headed for a grassy hill to relax, and decided to have lunch there. Keita then got out a newspaper and laid down. "The Assault Team made it to Floor 30," Keita said impressed. "That's amazing!"

He turned his head to face Marth and Kirito, who were sitting next to him on his right. "Hey Kirito," Keita asked suddenly, causing the black-haired swordsman to perk up when he heard his name. "What the hell does the Assault Team have that we don't?"

"Well. Access to information," Kirito replied. "With that they can find the easiest ways to get XP, and they don't share that info."

Keita sighed and put the newspaper down. "Yeah, you're probably right," Keita said with his arms crossed. "But I think what sets them apart is willpower."

Marth turned towards the guild leader. "What do you mean by that?" the brown-haired swordsman asked curiously.

Keita sat up. "I guess what I mean is that they have the will to stick up for their friends or any player for that matter," Keita explained and faced the two Beaters. "Truth is, I like to think that we have that same sort of drive, even though we still need their protection. That said, our first priority is looking out for each other. But someday if we get strong enough, we'll join the elites in the Assault Team."

Kirito cracked a smile. "I see," he told his guild leader. "That's a good goal."

Keita scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. I guess," Keita started to say.

Ducker then jumped behind him. "Hey leader," the thief said as he quickly put his right around Keita's neck teasingly. "Give me some love."

The rest of the guild approached them as Keita protested to Ducker's actions. "So, you really think we can be as strong as the Holy Dragon Alliance or the Knights of the Blood Oath?" Tetsuo asked his leader.

"Yeah. What if I do?" Keita said quickly. "Nothing wrong with setting our sights high. But we have to be level 30 first."

"What about the Darkness Duo?" Ducker questioned, causing the two Beaters to jump. "I hear they're just as strong as both guilds."

Tetsuo groaned. "You know they're just a rumor, right? No one really knows if they actually exist."

Both Marth and Kirito sighed in relief. The brown-haired Beater then tapped on Kirito's shoulder to get the latter's attention while the guild was distracted with their debate. "I like the way Keita thinks," Marth told his friend quietly. "I hope they can level up fast so they can join the front lines."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. His ideals could change the elitist attitude of most of the Assault Team," the black-haired Beater replied.

The rest of the Moonlit Black Cats then faced the duo. "Hey Marth," Keita said suddenly to the brown-haired swordsman. "If you want, you can join our guild. Kirito is coaching Sachi on how to be a better frontline DPS member. You could help him if you want."

Marth, who was drinking some water at the time, quickly spat it out in surprise.

"Marth!? Are you okay?" Kirito asked in concern as his friend looked like he was coughing up a lung.

After a few moments, Marth was able to stop coughing and held his throat. "Yeah. I'm alright," he replied before facing Keita. "Sorry about that. You just took me by surprise."

The staff-user scratched the back of his head. "It's all right," Keita said. "It was my fault for inviting you out of the blue like that."

Ducker then let go of Keita so they could approach the solo player. "So what's your answer Marth?" the thief asked.

Marth crossed his arms and thought for a few moments. _"If I join the Moonlit Black Cats, I'll have to continue hiding my true level from them,"_ the brown-haired Beater mentally debated with his eyes closed. _"Not to mention that I'll have to do my hunting in secret like Kirito. But if I do I could probably help them level up enough, so they can join the Assault Team. Agh, why is this such a head scratcher?"_

Marth opened his eyes and faced the guild. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll stay a solo player," Marth explained to the group. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm honored that you want me in your guild, but it's probably for the best that I stay solo. I'm sorry." He gave them an apologetic look when he said the last sentence.

Keita nodded in understanding. "No, it's cool," the guild leader replied as he extended his hand towards the solo player. "But if you change your mind, message us okay?"

Marth smiled and stood up. "Alright," he said as he shook Keita's hand. Marth then said goodbye to the Moonlit Black Cats and headed for the Warp Gate to head back to one of the higher floors.

**That Night on Floor 28**

Marth left the town to do some hunting in the Wolf Plains. Along the way he ran into Kirito, who was there to do the same thing. While they decided to go together, they didn't team up, so they could get more XP and loot. When they arrived at the Wolf Plains, they saw that Klein and his guild were doing some late night leveling.

"Klein," Kirito said slowly.

Klein was seemingly being chased by a Blood Wolf Leader, but he quickly took care of it with a Sword Skill. He then sheathed his katana and let out a sigh. When Klein looked up the hill, he saw his two solo friends.

"What's up, Kirito? You too, Marth," Klein exclaimed to the duo before turning to face his guild. "The trash mobs all yours, guys!"

"Okay!" one of his guild members called back.

Klein then jogged over to the two solo players. "Man. It's been a while since I've seen you guys," the katana-user said as he approached the duo. "Are you two doing some late night leveling too or something?"

Marth saw that Klein was now wearing a red jacket, brown leather chest armor and a shoulder pad on his left, brown leather gloves, white pants, and black sandals that resembled what a samurai would wear. He still had the same headband he wore when SAO started too.

Klein noticed that there was an icon that looked like a black cat above Kirito's HP bar. "Hey Kirito," the samurai asked. "What's with that icon? Did you join a guild?"

Kirito looked away from the red-head. "I guess you could say that," the black-haired swordsman replied.

"It is all clear! We can move forward now," one of the Fuurinkazan members called out suddenly.

Kirito started to walk down the hill. "See you guys later," he said as he walked away.

"Yeah," Klein said as he watched his friend leaving. "Oh come on. Is it still bugging him?"

Marth sighed. "What do you think?" he asked and approached the samurai.

"By the way," the Beater said quietly as he stopped at Klein's right. "It still bugs me too." The swordsman then ran down the hill before the samurai could see the hurt in his eyes. Marth spent hours working on his «Searching» and «One-Handed Sword», as well as his «Martial Arts» skills on any monsters he could find. He worked on other skills too. During that time, Marth hardly saw Kirito or Klein at all.

Marth kept hunting until it was 2 in the morning and used a Teleport Crystal to return to town because he was too tired to walk back. When he arrived back in town, he immediately went to an inn and got a room. Marth then entered his room and collapsed face-first on the bed. He didn't even bother to remove his sword and boots.

" _I'm so exhausted,"_ Marth thought. _"I definitely spent way too long hunting tonight. Gotta make sure I don't repeat this."_ He then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

**Less Than a Month Later**

The Assault Team had reached Floor 33, with Marth occasionally joining the raids. He was currently at an inn on Floor 30 checking all of his equipment. He suddenly got a message from Kirito. Curious about it, Marth selected it so he could read it.

"Marth, I need your help!" Kirito had written. "Keita went to the Town of Beginnings to buy a house for the guild, and the others want to go to the Labyrinth on Floor 27 to quickly earn money for furniture to impress him. Their levels aren't high enough to deal the mobs of monsters there. Can you watch over us from the shadows and help if we get in serious trouble?"

Marth gritted his teeth in frustration. "Idiots," he muttered to himself. "Don't they know that overestimating your strength in a game always comes back to bite you?"

He hit the reply button and typed, "Alright. I'll get there as quickly as I can. Make sure that they don't get themselves killed before I arrive." He then hit the send button and ran to the Warp Gate. There, he teleported to the main town on Floor 27 and sprinted towards the Labyrinth, which was easy to find due to it being a humungous stone pillar that goes up to the next Floor. Marth was able to quickly catch up to the Moonlit Black Cats, but he stayed hidden to observe when or if he was needed.

"You see," Ducker said to the group. "I told you guys this was gonna be cake."

Sasamaru nodded. "We might even reach the front lines even sooner," the lancer replied.

"That's what I'm talking about," Ducker said before noticing a glowing blue pattern on the wall to his right. "Look there." He then approached the pattern and touched it which revealed a gray metal door.

Both Marth and Kirito were shocked about it. _"No way,"_ Marth thought as he watched Ducker pick the lock on the handle. _"What's a hidden door doing here?"_

Ducker was able to quickly unlock the door which opened to a small room with a chest in the middle of it.

"A treasure chest!" Ducker cheered. "Woohoo!"

Ducker, Tetsuo, and Sasamaru then ran straight for the chest. "No! Wait!" Kirito exclaimed in warning. He and Sachi then entered the room, but before Kirito could stop them, Ducker had opened the chest. Suddenly the room's walls changed from blue to red and an alarm was heard.

Marth, realizing that it was a trap, tried to enter to help but the door closed before he could. "No!" Marth exclaimed as he banged his fists on the door trying to get it to open. "Come on. Open up!" But the door remained closed.

The Beater continued to bang on the door for a few minutes before it finally opened and revealed Kirito running toward the door alone. "Run Marth! Hurry!" Kirito yelled as he sprinted out of the room, which was filled with monsters.

Marth gritted his teeth and followed his friend. They kept running until they were out of the dungeon. Once they were outside, the duo collapsed with exhaustion.

"*Pant*, *Pant*. What the heck…happened in there?" Marth asked in-between breaths. "Where are the others?" Marth saw the tearful look in the black-haired Beater's eyes, giving him a hunch on what had happened.

"They're dead," Kirito said in a sad tone. "When the door closed a huge horde of monsters appeared and overwhelmed us. I was fine due to my high level, but the others weren't. First Ducker died, then Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and finally…Sachi." Kirito stuttered when he mentioned Sachi. The black-haired swordsman had told Marth a while ago that he promised Sachi that he'd protect her.

"How did you get the door to open?" Marth asked. "Couldn't you just have used a Teleport Crystal to warp out of there?"

Kirito shook his head. "The room was an «Anti-Crystal Zone», which prevents Crystals from working. I had to destroy the chest in the center of the room," Kirito explained. "I figured that destroying the chest was the key to escaping."

Marth's eyes widened in shock. "An «Anti-Crystal Zone»!" the brown-haired Beater said in shock. "I heard rumors about them, but I never expected that one would be here."

Kirito lowered his head. "My arrogance killed them," Kirito said suddenly. "If I was able to stop them in time, told them that it could've been a trap, they'd still be alive."

Marth shook his head. "There's no way you could've known for sure that it was a trap. Even I didn't realize it was a trap until the alarm went off." Marth lowered his eyes toward the ground. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'll tell Keita the truth," Kirito told his friend. "He needs to know what happened to his guild, and the truth about me."

Marth had a hunch that Keita wouldn't be happy when he found out. Nonetheless, he nodded in agreement. "That may be the only thing you can do," Marth replied.

Once they recovered their strength, the duo headed back to town and parted ways. Kirito went to Taft to wait for Keita, while Marth went back to the front lines. Along the way, Marth couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen.

**Several Months Later**

The date is December 24th, 2023. The Assault Team had reached Floor 49. Kirito was currently in Myujen, a town on Floor 49, where he ran into Argo. He is sitting on a bench looking at a Christmas tree and Argo was standing behind him. Kirito was wearing a black winter overcoat with white fur trimming since it was cold. His level was now level 70.

"I heard that a certain solo player has been taking a lot of risks with their level raising," Argo said.

"You got any info that's actually useful or not?" Kirito asked suddenly.

"Nothing worth charging you money for," the info-broker replied.

"You give info-brokers a bad name, Argo," Kirito said causing Argo to raise her hand in defense.

"Hey, this wasn't in the beta test. It's a first-time event," Argo replied. "How am I supposed to know for sure whether it'll happen or not? All I know is that tonight, on Christmas Eve, the Event Boss is gonna appear under a fir tree somewhere in Aincrad. He's called Nicolas the Renegade. The major guilds are searching everywhere for the tree as we speak." She then noticed Kirito stand up. "You wouldn't happen to know where it is would you."

"Maybe," Kirito replied. "Did you tell anyone else about this?"

Argo nodded. "The Fuurinkazan and a certain other black-garbed swordsman," she said with her arms crossed. Kirito then walked off. "Are you seriously planning on fighting this boss solo or something?" Argo asked her fellow beta tester in concern, but Kirito didn't respond.

Kirito went into his room at the inn and began sorting his equipment. _"In this world, the dead can never return. Just like in the real world,"_ Kirito thought to himself. _"I heard a rumor though that if you beat Nicolas the Renegade, he'll drop an item that can revive a dead player. If I beat him, I can use the item to revive Sachi. Then I can find out what she said to me before she died."_ His mind flashbacked to when he told Keita the truth about him, and the deaths of his guildmates. Keita ended up cursing Kirito, claiming a Beater like him had no right to be with the guild. Keita then committed suicide by jumping off the ledge of Aincrad, falling down the endless sky, much to Kirito's shock.

" _I shouldn't have lied to them,"_ Kirito thought as he prepared to leave. _"If I hadn't kept my true level a secret, I could've warned them about that trap. If Sachi's last words were her cursing me, then I accept it."_

The Beater then headed for the Warp Gate and teleported to the main town of Floor 35. Once he arrived, Kirito immediately headed for the Forest of Wandering, which was covered in snow. Kirito sprinted passed the trees for a few minutes before reaching a small clearing. He looked to his right and saw Klein and his guild teleport into the clearing.

"What's up?" Klein asked casually.

"You guys followed me?" the black swordsman asked the group with no emotion.

"Of course. You're after that revival item, aren't you?"

"And if I am?"

"Don't risk your life on some rumor that could be bogus," Klein pleaded. "C'mon, man. You can't be messing around in this death game. Once your HP hits zero, that's it. In the real world, your brain gets fried…"

"Shut up," Kirito said suddenly.

Klein was taken aback by Kirito's attitude. "I'm trying to get you to stop with this stupid solo raid," Klein replied angrily. "Come on, join up with us. Whoever gets it to drop the revival item keeps it, no hard feelings. That's fair right?"

"But then there'd be no point," Kirito said plainly as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "I have to do this… alone."

Most of the Fuurinkazan members then gripped their weapons in response, but Klein gave a hand signal telling them to stand down. Suddenly a brown horse appeared, its riders were none other than Marth and Yuuki, the former of which was holding the reins.

"Now that's how you make an entrance!" Yuuki commented. "Looks like you were right about Kirito, Marth." Her outfit had changed a lot since Floor 1. She now wore a purple trench coat, fingerless gloves, red leggings and purple boots. She also had a red headband that held up her bangs.

"You need to stop this, Kirito," Marth pleaded as he and Yuuki dismounted, causing the horse to disappear. "I know you feel guilty about what happened, but you shouldn't risk your life for this."

Kirito looked towards his childhood friend and said, "Sorry Marth, but even you can't stop me."

Marth gritted his teeth in anger. "Think about what you're doing, Kirito. Its suicide," he said. "You're my best friend and I won't let you die like this. At least let me and Yuuki help you. If either of us gets the revival item, then you can have it. Will that work for you?" Yuuki nodded in agreement.

Kirito was about to draw his sword but stopped when multiple players entered the field. The group then got in front of Kirito with Marth and Yuuki being the closest.

Yuuki grunted in annoyance. "Great, just what we needed," she said bitterly. "More company."

"It looks like you guys were followed too," Kirito said.

"Uh-huh. It looks that way," Klein replied as he drew his katana.

"It's the Holy Dragon Alliance," one of the Fuurinkazan members said, "They'll do anything for a rare item no matter how shady."

"What do we do?" another of the guild members asked.

"You bastards," Kirito said quietly.

"Screw these guys. Get out of here Kirito, Marth, Yuuki," Klein ordered as he and his guild prepared for battle.

"No way," Kirito replied.

"Same with me," Marth said.

"Me three," Yuuki added as she and Marth went over to Kirito.

Klein then faced the duo. "Leave 'em to us," Klein answered. "We can hold them off. Now get going."

Kirito paused for a few moments before he let go of his sword and took off. Marth followed close behind, as did Yuuki.

"Don't even think about ditching me," Marth said as they headed for the tree. "I meant what I said back there. I won't let you fight the boss alone."

"Neither will I," Yuuki added. "We're in this together."

"Marth, Yuuki. Thank you," Kirito replied in awe.

The trio arrived at a clearing where a glowing blue fir tree was in the middle. They approached it and heard a church bell ringing for a few moments. It was then followed up with bells from a sleigh. The trio looked up and saw two white streaks in the sky. They then saw something big coming down which landed in front of them. The impact stirred up the snow on the ground, causing the players to momentarily shield their eyes. When it cleared up, they saw a creature that looked like an evil form of Santa Claus carrying an axe and had four HP bars. The trio promptly drew their swords.

"Creepy," Yuuki commented with the boys nodding in agreement.

"Let's do this," Kirito said.

Marth nodded. "Right."

The trio let out a battle cry and charged at Nicolas the Renegade who in turn raised his axe.

**Later**

Klein and his guild were sitting on the ground, with the former looking exhausted. The samurai had chosen to challenge the group leader to a duel to force them to leave, and he barely managed to win. Klein was sitting by himself and looked up when he heard Marth, Kirito and Yuuki enter the clearing. Kirito had the revival item in hand but didn't look happy.

"Kirito, Marth, Yuuki. Hey!" Klein cheered before noticing the look on Kirito's face.

Kirito tossed the item to Klein, who subsequently caught it. "There," the black swordsman said. "That's the revival item."

Klein opened the item's description. "Let's see," Klein said. "It says 'must be administered to affected player within _TEN SECONDS_."

"If someone dies in front of you someday, make sure you use it," Kirito replied. He started to walk away until Klein grabbed him by the back of his coat.

"Kirito, listen," Klein said worriedly causing the swordsman to face him. "Stay alive you hear. I don't care how you do it. Just stay alive to the end." The samurai then cried a little and let go of Kirito's coat.

"See ya," Kirito said as he walked away.

Marth walked to Klein's left. "He'll be fine," the dark swordsman told the samurai. "I've got a feeling that after tonight Kirito will act more like himself again. Let's go, Yuuki."

"Okay."

The duo then waved goodbye to the red-head and went after Kirito.

**Later at an inn on Floor 49**

It was midnight. Kirito was sitting at the desk in his room with his head resting on his arms. He then lifted his head when he got a message alert. He selected it and saw it was a gift from Sachi.

"Sachi?" Kirito asked himself in confusion. He touched it again and it changed into a recording crystal which floated into his hand. He pressed the button on the top of the crystal to play the message, causing the center of it to glow yellow.

"Merry Christmas, Kirito," Sachi had recorded, shocking the swordsman. "By the time you hear this, I'll probably be dead. How can I explain this? Let's see. To tell you the truth, I never really wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings. And I knew if I fought with an attitude like that I would end up dying someday. But that's not anyone's fault; that's something I have to deal with. Kirito, ever since you found me you kept telling me that I wasn't going to die no matter what. But what if I got killed anyway? I knew that if I died, you'd blame yourself. That's why I decided to record this for you. By the way, I know how powerful you and your friend Marth really are. Sorry, I sort of peeked at your stats when you weren't looking. I found out how strong Marth really was from a person who claimed that he saved them on one of the higher floors. I wondered why you two weren't telling the truth about what levels you really were, why you decided to fight with us."

"I never figured it out though," the recording continued. "You know, when I found out how strong you really were; I don't know, it made me so happy. I felt relieved. So even if I die, promise me you'll go on living, okay Kirito? Stay alive so you can see the end of this world and find out why it was created. Find out why a weakling like me ended up here. Find out the reason you and I met. Please, that's what I wish. Looks like I still have a little time, so seeing how it's Christmas and everything, I'll sing you a song." Sachi then hummed "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for a couple moments. Kirito ended up shedding a couple tears.

"Anyway Kirito," Sachi said. "I'm so glad I met you. And that I could be with you, even for a little while. Thank you and goodbye." The crystal stopped glowing and fell on the table, indicating that the recording was over.

Kirito realized that the last two sentences were what Sachi said right before she died and burst into tears. He was so distraught that he failed to sense Marth and Yuuki outside, the former leaning on his door in the hallway. Marth had his arms crossed and his eyes closed while Yuuki looked relieved. They had overheard everything Sachi had said in her recording.

"So, Sachi had a contingency to help Kirito if she died," Marth muttered.

"Talk about smart," Yuuki whispered. "I just hope it's enough."

"So do I, Yuuki. So do I." Marth then opened his eyes and quietly walked away, the swordswoman close behind.


	6. The Darkness Duo

**Chapter 6- The Darkness Duo**

**February 23, 2024**

The Assault Team had reached Floor 53. Marth and Kirito were still fighting solo on the front lines. But neither of them was there at the moment.

**The Forest of Wandering on Floor 35**

"What are you talking about?" a red-haired woman named Rosalia asked a girl with brown hair. "Why should we share our Healing Crystals with you? Your pet lizard has healing powers you know."

The girl with brown hair had a winged blue feathered dragon that was no bigger than a house cat. The dragon growled at Rosalia's comment. The girl had her hair in pigtails at the sides of her head. Her eyes were red and was wearing a yellow robe, a silver breastplate and pauldrons, brown leather gloves with metal bands, black shorts, and yellow boots. She also had a dagger and a pouch strapped to her waist.

"But you never fight on the front lines so who are you to talk?" the girl retorted. "You don't need to use any Crystals."

Rosalia twirled her hair. "Of course I do," Rosalia replied. "You're the popular one around here, Silica. I can't expect the boys to help me when I need it."

Both Silica and her dragon growled in response. "Ah come on," one of the male players said to the red-head. "It's not like that."

Silica then closed her menu which was open for item trading. "Fine. I don't care," Silica said angrily. "You want my items so take them. But I'm never going to team up with you again. I know there's a ton of other parties who would love to have me on their side."

Silica stormed off into the forest, ignoring the male players' protests, toward the town called Mishe on her own. Her dragon, which was named Pina, followed her.

**Later**

It was night and Silica was fighting against three Drunken Apes alone. She was panting in exhaustion and was backed next to a tree. Her level was 44 and her HP was halfway depleted. One of the Apes swung its club at her, but Silica was barely able to jump out of the way to evade. She landed in front of the second, but she managed to jump backwards to avoid its attack.

Pina let out a little roar as it flew next to its master and released a healing breath which barely brought Silica's HP to green. Silica reached into her pouch for a Healing Crystal but quickly realized that she was out of them.

" _Not good,"_ Silica thought before one of the Apes smacked her into a tree.

Silica saw that her HP was brought to the red zone and her dagger was knocked from her hand. The monsters approached her while Silica looked around for her weapon. She didn't look long as closest Ape swung its club at her one more time. However, Pina flew and intercepted the attack with its own body. The impact knocked little dragon behind Silica.

Silica turned and faced her wounded pet. "Pina!" she yelled in worry. She rushed over to it and saw that its HP had hit zero. Pina started to glow prompting Silica to pick it up while saying its name multiple times before the dragon shattered into blue polygons and a small blue feather dropped in front of her.

Silica turned towards the monsters but failed to do anything due to her shock and grief. One of the Apes prepared to finish her off with its club, but the attack never came. Suddenly, all three monsters shattered into polygons, revealing Marth and Kirito with swords in their right hands. Kirito had a new black leather overcoat that was blue on the shoulders, gold plated chest armor with a black undershirt, and black cowboy boots with spurs and black fingerless gloves. He also had a new sword with a w-shaped blue crossguard.

Marth also had a new black leather overcoat but his had a single white stripe down the back of the sleeves and the middle of the coat from top to bottom, a black undershirt and pants, and black boots and fingerless gloves. His sword had normal blue crossguard.

"Pina," Silica said as a few tears escaped her eyes. She turned and picked up the feather and held it close to her chest.

"Don't leave me all alone here," she said desperately. "Pina."

The sword duo sheathed their swords and looked at the crying girl. "What's that feather?" Kirito asked.

"It's Pina," Silica answered while crying. "My best… friend."

The duo was taken aback by this. "You're one of those beast tamers aren't you?" Marth replied. "I'm sorry. If we got here sooner, we could've saved your friend."

Silica shook her head. "No. It's all my fault," she told her rescuers. "I was stupid to think I could get through the forest on my own." She turned towards the duo. "Thank you both for saving me. You did what you could."

"That feather," Kirito said as he knelt beside the beast tamer. "Check to see if it has an item name attached to it."

The tamer did so and cried even harder when she saw that the item's name was called "Pina's Heart".

"Hey. There's no need to cry," Marth quickly explained as he knelt on Silica's right. "That means Pina's heart is still here. There's a chance to revive it."

Silica faced the brown-haired Beater in awe. "No way! Really?" the beast tamer asked quickly.

Kirito nodded in confirmation. "On the south side of Floor 47 there's field dungeon called the Hill of Memories," Kirito explained. "There's a rumor that the flower growing at the top of it can revive familiars."

Silica looked at Kirito with a smile before realizing a slight oversight on her part. "Floor 47 huh," Silica said slowly. "That's a bit out of my level range."

Kirito scratched the back of his head. "My friend and I would offer to go get it for you. All you'd have to do is pay for the trip," Kirito replied. "But the thing is, the flower won't bloom unless the familiar's master is there."

"Thank you so much for telling me about it," Silica quickly replied. "If I work hard to raise my level then someday…"

"Except the time limit is three days to revive it," Marth interrupted.

Silica gasped and lowered her head. "No way," she said in remorse. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Pina."

Marth and Kirito stood back up. "It's okay," Kirito replied. "You have three days." He then opened up his menu and sent a couple pieces of equipment to Silica. "Take this equipment. It should boost you by about five or six levels. And if my partner and I tag along, I'm sure everything will work out."

Silica got back on her feet. "But why would you two do all this for me?" she asked curiously.

Kirito faced the tamer and held his face with his hand in an awkward manner. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh," Kirito answered. "Okay?"

"I promise I won't," Silica replied.

Kirito looked away from the tamer. "Alright," Kirito explained, "It's because you look like my little sister."

A few moments passed until Silica burst out laughing. Even Marth cracked a smile because he knew the truth about his best friend's sister, who looked nothing like the beast tamer.

"You would say something like that," Marth teased the black swordsman, causing Kirito to look away in embarrassment.

Silica also managed to stop laughing. "I'm sorry," the beast tamer said before facing Marth. "What about you?"

"My reason for wanting to help isn't as humorous as my partner's. I just want to help anyone who's in trouble, but you do remind me of my sister too."

"Cool," Silica said before hitting the trade button to send Kirito something in return. "I know this isn't enough Col to pay you back so…"

"No, it's cool," Kirito quickly replied before ending the trade. "Besides it works with why we're here. We'll be helping each other out."

"Okay, my name's Silica, by the way."

"I'm Kirito and this is Marth. It's getting late. We should get to town before we get attacked by more monsters."

"Uh, right," Silica said nervously. "Do either of you know how to get to Mishe?"

Marth nodded. "Of course. Just stick close to us and we'll be out of these woods in no time."

"Okay."

The trio then set off towards the town.

**Later in Mishe**

The trio were wandering the town looking for the inn when someone called out to them. "Hey look!" a male voice exclaimed. "It's Silica!"

The tamer stopped and saw two guys running towards her. "It took you a long time to get back," The short guy said. "We were getting worried."

"You wanna team up with us?" the tall guy asked. "We'll take you wherever you wanna go."

Silica took a step back in surprise. "That's very nice of you to offer but…" Silica said politely before quickly grabbing Kirito's arm. "Well I've sorta already agreed to be in a party with him and his friend so…"

The two guys glared at the Beaters.

"'Kay. Later. Bye," Silica said quickly as she walked away with the two swordsmen.

Once they were away from the two players, Silica gave Kirito an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that," she told the black swordsman.

"I didn't know you had fans," Marth said to beast tamer. "You must be popular."

Silica lowered her head. "No. They don't take me seriously," Silica explained. "They want me to be their mascot. Maybe they're right. They call me 'Dragon Tamer' and I guess it went to my head." She let go of Kirito's arm and stopped walking and looked like she was about to cry again.

"Don't worry about it," Kirito said, consoling Silica while patting her on the head. "We'll make it in time. Promise."

Silica smiled with joy. "Okay," she said as she wiped a tear from her face.

They kept walking and found an inn. "Do you guys live around here?" Silica asked curiously.

"Me and Marth live on Floor 50," Kirito replied. "It's kind of far so we agreed to spend the night at the inn here instead."

"If you both stay, I'll take you both out for some cheesecake," Silica told the duo. "It's really good here."

They stopped when they heard a female voice call out.

"Well, if it isn't Silica," Rosalia said.

The Dragon Tamer looked away from her former party as they approached.

"Wow," Rosalia said mockingly. "You got through the forest alive. Good for you, girl."

Marth noticed Silica seemed uneasy. "Is something wrong?"

Silica shook her head. "Oh, no," the beast tamer replied. "It's nothing."

"Hang on," Rosalia said after she approached the group. "What happened to your little friend, the lizard? Did it run away?"

Silica looked at her former party member. "Pina died saving me," she explained to the lance user. "But I'm going to get Pina back."

"Really?" Rosalia replied. "I guess you'll be heading for the Hill of Memories then. I wonder if you'll be able to clear it at you level."

" _This person really loves to mock people,"_ Marth thought.

"Of course she will," Kirito said as stepped in front of Silica. "It's not that difficult a level."

Rosalia observed the swordsman for a few seconds. "Oh, so you seduced these two into helping you," Rosalia said mockingly. "No, that dungeon's not difficult but you don't look that strong."

Unbeknownst to her, Marth narrowed his eyes on the lance-user for the first comment she made when Kirito joined the discussion.

"Come on guys," Kirito said suddenly. The trio then walked into the inn. When they left, Rosalia smirked evilly.

The trio got a table and the two Beaters put their swords in-between the seat and table. Silica sat on one end while the sword-users sat on the other.

"Why does she have to be so mean?" Silica wondered aloud.

"Well, is Sword Art Online your first MMO?" Kirito asked the tamer, who nodded in response. "A lot of people's personalities change when they play games online. And some actually like playing the game as the bad guy. You see how our cursors are green?"

Silica nodded in response as she saw a green 3D triangle above all the players' heads.

"Well if you commit a crime against another player, your cursor's gonna turn orange," Kirito explained. "Then they can become what's called a 'Red Player.' The worst, also known as player killers. They're all about murder."

Silica gasped. "They kill other players?" the Dragon Tamer asked in shock.

"In a normal game they role play as the bad guy, have some laughs and its cool," Marth said. "But Sword Art Online is different."

"It's definitely not a game," Kirito finished as the Beaters tightened their grip on their cups.

"Marth. Kirito. Are you two alright?" Silica asked the duo.

The swordsmen snapped out of their trance. "Sorry about that," Kirito told the beast tamer. He lowered his head again.

A few moments passed before Silica spoke up, "Well. I think you and Marth are good people. I mean, you guys saved me after all." She stood up and grabbed Kirito's hands in comfort.

Kirito was surprised by her outburst but gave the girl a light smile. "Looks like you cheered us up instead," the black swordsman said. "Thank you, Silica."

The Dragon Tamer's head went beet red and quickly sat back down. "Uh, wow. Where the heck's our cheesecake already?" Silica said in embarrassment while fanning her face with her hands before facing an NPC. "Excuse me. Our dessert hasn't shown up yet."

The Beaters chuckled in amusement at how flustered she was.

**Later**

The trio had gotten rooms at the inn to spend the night. The sword duo went to Silica's room to talk about how they would get to the Hill of Memories. When they entered the room, they saw an embarrassed Dragon Tamer sitting on her bed, wearing nothing but a shirt and short pants.

"Something wrong?" Kirito asked as he brought out a golden circular device from his coat and placed it on the table.

Silica quickly shook her head. "No, nothing," the tamer replied in an embarrassed tone. She then pointed curiously at the device. "What's that thing do, Kirito?"

"It's a Mirage Sphere," the black swordsman answered as he hit the button on the top of the device.

The sphere opened up and revealed a 3D map of Floor 47. The sword users then took a seat at the table.

"Wow," Silica said in awe. "It's pretty."

Marth pointed to a spot at the map. "This is the town area of Floor 47," he explained before pointing to another area. "And that's the Hill of Memories."

Kirito put his finger on a road. "Marth and I agreed that if we took this route we could…" he said before he and his partner tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Silica asked curiously before Marth shushed her.

Kirito sprinted to the door and hastily opened it. "Who's out there?!" the swordsman exclaimed. All he saw was a person sprinting down the stairs at high speed.

Silica nervously approached the black swordsman. "Um, who was it?" the Dragon Tamer asked.

"An eavesdropper," Kirito replied.

"But they can't," Silica replied. "I mean, you can't hear through a door unless you knock first."

The duo then went back into the room and Kirito closed the door.

"Normally that's true," Marth explained to the rookie. "But if your «Listening» skill is high enough, you can. It takes a lot of practice so not that many players have it."

Silica turned towards the duo. "Why would they want to listen to us?" she asked nervously.

Neither of the swordsmen answered. Instead they just stared silently at the door.

**The Next Day**

The trio had just arrived at the town area of Floor 47. Silica was also wearing the gear she had gotten from Kirito. She now wore a red robe that exposed part of her shoulders, a short black skirt, fingerless red gloves, and black asymmetrical shoes with long black socks. Her new dagger was strapped to the back of her waist.

The Dragon Tamer looked in awe at all the flowers in the area. "This place is like a dream," she said.

"Yeah," Kirito replied with his right hand on his waist. "The whole floor is covered in flowers. That's why they call it the Flower Garden."

Silica giggled a little before kneeling next to a patch of blue flowers. She looked up and a saw a bunch of couples together. She blushed as she watched them all getting along.

"Um, Silica?" Marth asked curiously, snapping the tamer out of her thoughts.

"What? Nothing," Silica replied nervously as she quickly back got up and faced her party members. "Sorry to keep you two waiting."

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked the tamer.

Silica fixed her hair and hastily said, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

The sword duo simply shrugged. "C'mon, let's go," Kirito said. The trio then headed for field dungeon. When they were at the entrance, they stopped at the bridge located there.

"Here," Kirito told the tamer as he handed her a Teleport Crystal. "Take this."

"What's this for?" Silica asked curiously.

"If anything bad happens while we're in the dungeon, I want you to warp out, okay?" Kirito explained. "This crystal can take you to any town. Just say 'teleport' and the name of the town you want to go to."

Silica looked the duo in the eyes. "But…" she started to say.

"Don't bother trying to talk him out of it," Marth interrupted with his arms crossed. "Besides, he's only trying to protect you."

Silica reluctantly took the crystal from Kirito's hand and put it in her pouch.

"Let's get going," Kirito said as they started walking. "If we take this path, it should take us right to the Hill of Memories."

They continued walking for a while. "Um Kirito," Silica started to say before a Garish Gerbera grabbed her legs with its vines and held her upside down. Silica had to use one hand to keep her skirt from falling while she was high off the ground. She used her other hand to draw her dagger and started swinging it around like crazy while screaming in fear.

"Calm down," Kirito said plainly. "That thing's not that strong."

"Help Kirito! Marth! Save me," Silica said in a panic and still madly swinging her dagger. "But don't look. Save me." She repeated the last sentence three times while the duo shielded their eyes with one hand but had one finger up to see what would happen.

"That'll be… difficult," Kirito said hesitantly.

"A little bit," Marth added.

Silica finally had enough. "Darn you," the tamer shouted in anger. "Put me down… now!"

Silica slashed at the vines that was holding her with her dagger. The vines were immediately severed and disintegrated into particles while Silica dived head first at the head of the plant monster and activated a Sword Skill. Silica plunged her dagger straight into the monster's head, killing it. She landed safely on the ground and nervously faced the duo.

"Did you guys see anything?" she asked nervously.

They quickly lowered their fingers to block their eyes. "Not really," Kirito replied innocently. Silica still looked a little embarrassed from the conflict. The trio then continued heading to the end of the dungeon.

They were then attacked by two Giant Venus Fly Traps. Silica stepped back in fear while Marth and Kirito easily swatted them aside with their swords. They then stepped away and allowed Silica to finish them off with a Sword Skill.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Kirito," Silica asked the black swordsman as they continued their journey. "But what's your sister like?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kirito answered with a question.

"Well, you said I look like her," Silica replied. "I know it's not polite to ask about your real life. But what's she like?"

Kirito sighed. "I call her my little sister," the swordsman explained, "but she's really my cousin."

That surprised Silica, but Marth wasn't because his friend had told him a long time ago.

"We were raised like brother and sister since we were babies, so I doubt she even knows," Kirito continued. "But I do, and I guess that's the reason why I avoided her when I found out. Our grandfather was really strict. When I was eight he made us take classes at the local kendo dojo. But after a couple of years, I stopped going. Grandpa beat the heck out of me for that."

Silica let out a gasp. "That's awful," she replied.

Kirito had to stop his story when more monsters attacked. They were easily dealt with and Silica even managed to level up to level 45.

"Anyway," Kirito continued. "Then my sister stood up for me and told him to stop. She said she'd train hard for both of us. And she did. She trained hard. She even made it to the nationals."

Silica looked at the black swordsman in awe. "She did? How awesome," the Dragon Tamer said. She quickly noticed the sad look in Kirito's eyes.

"Yeah. I always felt guilty for putting her through that," Kirito replied. "I wouldn't doubt it if she hates me. God knows she could be doing something else." He faced the dagger-user. "Maybe that's why I want to help you," Kirito continued. "In a weird way, it feels like I'm paying her back."

Marth let out a heavy sigh. _"Kirito really needs to learn not to think too much on other peoples' lives,"_ Marth thought. _"But if he didn't, he wouldn't be the friend I know so well."_

"If you don't mind me saying this Kirito. You're wrong. I don't think she hates you at all," Silica said suddenly before getting in front of the black-haired Beater with her arms crossed behind her back. "She wouldn't work that hard for you if she didn't like you, promise. And I bet she even loves kendo."

Kirito's eyes widened at Silica's statement before smiling. "There you go again making me feel better," the swordsman said. "Maybe you're right. Man I hope so."

Silica blushed at the praise and turned around. "Okay," she stated. "I'm gonna do my best too." She uncrossed her arms and accidently stepped on a Land Anemone trap. She screamed in fear as she was lifted high into the air and wrapped in its tentacles.

"Kirito!?" she exclaimed in fear. "Marth, help!?"

The duo quickly struck at the base of the monster with their swords as they charged and ended up having their backs to it. The monster was instantly killed, causing Silica to land flat on her butt. The duo smirked confidently as they turned to face the beast tamer while resting their swords on their right shoulders. Silica giggled a little before quickly getting back on her feet.

"So Marth," she said nervously as they continued through the dungeon. "What about your sister? You said I remind you of her. So how do I?"

"Unlike Kirito's, my sister is my actual sister by blood," Marth explained. "She plays soccer and doesn't like video games all that much. She's pretty fond of animals too. Hell, she'd get along great with Kirito's sister."

Kirito chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, they would."

"Anyway," Marth continued. "My sister and I aren't that close. We're pretty much polar opposites. When I was ten, our dad signed both of us up for soccer. I only played for a year until I quit the team. Dad wasn't happy about that, but sports just wasn't my thing. My sister on the other hand loved it and continued playing. She's even gotten her team a few tournament wins here and there."

"Wow, she sounds really cool," Silica praised.

"Yeah."

Silica then noticed brown-haired swordsman's eyes darken. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Marth passed off. "Let's just say my past isn't too cheery."

The beast tamer looked confused but she could tell that Marth didn't want to talk about it. Kirito, on the other hand, knew exactly what his partner was talking about.

_"So that's still bothering you, huh?"_ Kirito thought. _"I guess we both have our own demons."_

Kirito gave his partner a nudge on the shoulder before whispering. "Hey, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Marth forced himself to smile and said, "Thanks, Kirito."

"Anytime."

After a while, the group reached the end of the dungeon where a small stone pedestal surrounded by four other small stones in the corners was seen on a hill.

"Is that reviving flower around here?" Silica asked as she looked around.

Kirito pointed toward the pedestal. "Yeah, over there," he replied. Silica immediately ran towards it with Marth and Kirito walking close behind.

When Silica approached the pedestal, the top of it glowed yellow and a white flower appeared in the center.

"Go ahead," Kirito told the tamer behind her. "Pick it up."

Silica reached out and picked the flower, which was called a "Pneuma Flower". She held the flower close and faced the sword duo. "You sure it'll bring Pina back to life?" the tamer asked excitedly.

Marth nodded in confirmation. "There's a bunch of strong monsters lurking around here," the dark swordsman replied. "It might for the best to revive it when we get back to town. I'm sure Pina would appreciate it."

Silica formed a big smile on her face. "Okay," she said to the duo. The group then headed back to town, but when they reached the same bridge, Kirito stopped Silica by putting his hand on her shoulder. Marth also came to a stop.

The Dragon Tamer turned towards the black swordsman. "Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Whoever's hiding out there, come out now!?" Kirito called out before removing his hand from Silica's shoulder.

A few seconds passed before a familiar red-haired woman came out from behind a tree.

"Ro-Rosalia?" Silica said in confusion.

"If you saw through my Hiding skill so easily, your «Searching» skill must be really high, swordsman," Rosalia said calmly.

"He's not the only one here with a high-level «Searching» skill," Marth said with his right hand on his waist. Kirito had his left hand on his own waist too.

Rosalia turned her attention to the Dragon Tamer. "Well it looks like you managed to get your hands on the Pneuma Flower," the lancer demanded. "Congratulations. Now hand it over before you get hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Silica asked both confused and shocked as Rosalia slowly approached them.

"No one's handing anything over to you, Rosalia," Marth said accusingly, death glaring Rosalia. "Or should I say Rosalia, leader of the orange guild, Titan's Hand."

The orange guild leader stopped moving from the swordsman's statement. "So you found me out…" Rosalia said arrogantly before she flinched from Marth's glare.

"But Rosalia's cursor is green," Silica said in confusion.

"It's an easy trick," Marth explained. "The green members find their victims and then lead them straight to the orange players for the ambush."

Kirito nodded. "That was one of your pals eavesdropping on us last night, wasn't it?" he asked the orange guild leader.

"So the reason you were in that party with me was to…" Silica started to say.

Rosalia narrowed her eyes at the trio. "How perceptive," she explained. "I was observing their strength and watching them earn all that beautiful money." She then licked her lips.

Silica's eyes widened in shock. "You're who I was excited about and it was so sad when you left the party," Rosalia continued. "But then you told me you were getting a rare item."

Rosalia looked at the sword duo in the eyes. "What I want to know is if you two knew about us, why did you bring her here?" she asked them. "Are you guys dumb or does she have you both wrapped around her finger?"

Silica looked disgusted when she heard the last statement. The sword duo simply shook their heads.

"Nope, you're wrong both times," Marth said plainly. "You see, me and my partner have been looking everywhere for you, Rosalia."

"What are you talking about?" the leader asked in confusion.

"Remember ten days ago? You attacked a guild called the Silver Flags," Kirito replied. "The leader survived, four didn't."

"Oh. The losers with no money," Rosalia said calmly as she played with her hair.

"Their leader went back and forth from the Warp Point to the front lines morning till night," Kirito continued, his tone etched with anger. "And with tears in his eyes, he begged everyone he met to avenge his dead friends. But he didn't want you killed. No, he wanted you to go to prison. Do you have any idea how he felt?" Both swordsmen narrowed their eyes in anger.

Rosalia sneered and put her hand on her waist. "Can't say that I do," she replied. "Only idiots take this game seriously. So what if we kill someone here? There's no proof that dying here means you're dead IRL. Anyway, it's time you start worrying about yourselves." She then snapped her fingers and seven guys appeared. They were all orange except for one that was beside Rosalia.

"Marth. Kirito. There's too many of them," Silica said in a panic. "We should get out of here."

Kirito put his right hand on Silica's head to calm her. "No, it's okay. You'll be safe if you stay right here," he told the tamer reassuringly. "Keep the crystal handy until I say so." He took his hand off her head and walked toward the guild with Marth on his right.

"Kirito!" Silica exclaimed with the crystal in hand. "Marth!"

Most of the Titan's Hand were shocked by their names. "K-Kirito?!" one of the orange members stuttered in fear. "M-Marth?!"

The duo then drew their swords. "Dressed in black. One-handed, no shield," the male green member said in disbelief. "Holy crap. That's Marth, the Dark Swordsman, and Kirito, the Black Swordsman. Rosalia. Those guys, they're the Beaters who fight solo on the front lines. They're the Darkness Duo from the Assault Team!"

"No way. They're the Darkness Duo?" Silica said in awe, having heard rumors about said duo.

Rosalia, on the other hand, wasn't as impressed. "Why would two people from the Assault Team, let alone the Darkness Duo, be all the way down here?" she said arrogantly. "There's six of you and only two of them. Go on! Take them out! And take everything they own!"

All the orange players gathered themselves before charging their skills. Their weapons started to glow a variety of colors.

"Die!" they shouted as they charged at the Beaters. The duo just stood still as they were relentlessly assaulted by the orange players. Large red gashes appeared around their bodies as they were hit, however no one noticed the lines quickly disappear. Rosalia looked pleased but Silica hesitantly put her hand on her dagger's hilt.

"I've got to save them," she whispered to herself. "They won't last long."

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw both of Marth and Kirito's HP drop by a small amount before it quickly replenished to full.

"What's going on?" Silica exclaimed in shock.

Soon, the orange players stopped their attacks, encircled the Beaters, and huffing in exhaustion.

"What the heck, you idiots!?" Rosalia angrily shouted at her members. "Kill them already!?"

Marth and Kirito briefly smirked before putting on cold faces.

"400 in ten seconds, give or take," Kirito said plainly. "That's the total amount of damage the six of you can inflict on us."

Rosalia gritted her teeth in anger.

"I'm level 78," Kirito explained. "I've got 14,500 HP. My «Battle Healing» skill auto-regenerates 600 points every ten seconds."

"It's the same with me," Marth finished. "We could stand here all day and you wouldn't get anywhere."

One of the orange players growled in frustration. "That's not possible," he retorted.

Marth spun around to face the player, causing the latter to flinch. "Wanna bet?" the Dark Swordsman said bitterly. "If your numbers are high enough, you're invincible. MMOs that use leveling systems are unfair that way."

The leader of the orange guild looked at the Beaters in anger.

Kirito brought out a Corridor Crystal from his inventory and held it up. "Our client spent his entire fortune on this Corridor Crystal and he'll get his money's worth," he explained as he looked at each of the members of Titan's Hand. "It's been set to the coordinates of the prison at the Black Iron Palace on Floor 1. And we're sending all of you bastards there."

Rosalia pointed her spear defiantly at the duo. "Well I'm green, so if either of you hurt me you'll go orange and…" she started to say before Marth quickly charged at her with impossible speed and held his sword up to her neck. She looked into his eyes and saw not a shred of mercy in them.

"Kirito and I are solo players, got it?" Marth said coldly. "We don't care if we have to play as orange for a couple of days."

Rosalia whimpered in fear before dropping her weapon, causing the other Titan's Hand members to do the same. Silica watched in awe as Darkness Duo used the Corridor Crystal to send all of Titan's Hand to prison. Rosalia tried to beg for mercy, but Kirito responded by throwing her through the portal.

**Later**

It was evening and the trio had arrived back in Mishe. They were in a bedroom with Kirito and Silica sitting on the bed, while Marth leaned on the wall near a window with his arms crossed.

"We're both really sorry, Silica," Kirito told the tamer. "This whole time Marth and I were using you as bait to catch those guys. We thought that you'd be scared if we told you the truth about us."

Silica shook her head. "I could never be scared of you two," she replied. "Because you're both good people."

Both Beaters cracked a small smile. "Do you guys really have to go?" Silica asked them.

Their smiles quickly faded. "Yeah," Kirito answered. "We've been away from the front lines for about five days. We need to get back."

"So you guys are the Darkness Duo?"

"We are, though Klein has a habit of calling us the 'Shadow Clones'," Marth said in amusement. "Thankfully that nickname hasn't caught on."

Silica stretched her arms out. "Well, I think it's cool that you two are on the Assault Team," the Dragon Tamer said. "I could try for a hundred years and never make it." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Kirito stopped her.

"You know, levels are just numbers. And a person's strength in this world is just an illusion," Kirito told her. "Sure, it's cool and all but there are more important things than that."

Marth lifted his head and looked at the beast tamer. "We should all meet up in the real world," the Dark Swordsman said. "That would be cool. And I can speak for both me and Kirito that we like having you as a friend, Silica." Kirito nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we will," Silica said with a smile. "Promise."

Kirito stood up and faced the tamer. "Anyway," he said. "Ready to revive Pina?"

Silica nodded and rose to her feet. "Yeah," she replied. She then got out Pina's Heart from her inventory and the Pneuma Flower. She put the feather on the table in the room and held the flower with both hands. The sword duo stood side by side on her right and gave her a nod to proceed.

" _Pina. When you get back, I've got lots of stuff to tell you about,"_ Silica thought as she poured a drop of nectar from the flower onto the feather. _"About the amazing adventure I had. And about this one day where I got to have two big brothers."_ Golden light radiated from the feather as the dragon familiar was revived. The two Beaters locked eyes with each other and smiled in content.


	7. Murder In A Safe Zone

**Chapter 7- Murder in a Safe Zone**

**March 6th, 2024**

Both Marth and Kirito were at a meeting in a cave located in Pani on Floor 56. The main commanders of the Assault Team were discussing how to defeat the Field Boss that protected the Labyrinth dungeon to the Floor Boss. The Assault Team had tried different ideas on how to beat it but since its only weakness was its soft underbelly, which was hard to hit due to the terrain, they were stuck. Asuna had become the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the strongest guild, and was now wearing her guild's uniform which had a red and white color scheme. The other guilds there was the Holy Dragon Alliance, the Fuurinkazan and a few others. Yuuki was there as well. She was still a solo player like the two Beaters. Asuna put her hand on the map that showed the surrounding area.

"Lure it into the village," Asuna said. "That's how we get the boss."

Kirito stepped forward. "You can't be serious," he said surprised. "If we do that the boss will go after the villagers."

"Yes, that's the idea," Asuna explained. "And while it's busy killing NPCs, we can attack it. And kill it."

Marth gritted his teeth and stood next to his black-haired friend. "But they're not just objects," the Dark Swordsman objected. "NPCs are different from rocks and trees. They're…"

Asuna glared at the duo. "You think they're alive, really?" she said coldly.

The two Beaters were taken aback at the fencer's cold-heartedness.

"In this game, NPCs are just objects," Asuna continued. "And unlike us, when they're killed, they can always respawn."

"You're wrong, Asuna," Yuuki objected, not liking the way her friend was behaving. "There are some NPCs that don't respawn. The Limited Time event and special quest NPCs won't respawn if they're killed by a monster. Not only that, we don't even know if the boss even aggroes on NPCs."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Sorry, but we're not cool with that plan," the Black Swordsman replied. "Especially since it has some major flaws in it."

The vice-commander of the K.O.B. looked at the duo. "I'm running this operation, okay?" she said in a dark tone. "And in case either of you forgot, I'm still second in command of the Knights of the Blood Oath. That means you both will obey my orders, like it or not. That includes you too, Yuuki."

Marth closed his eyes and let out a sigh, trying to keep his anger in check. Once he calmed down, he reopened them. "I think you're the one who's forgotten," Marth told the vice-commander. "The three of us are solo players. We're not a part of your guild so that means you can't order us around."

**Later**

The Dark Swordsman walked out of the cave. He looked very annoyed.

"Hey Marth!" Kirito called out. "Wait up!"

The brown-haired Beater stopped walking and turned towards his friend. "That was a cool comeback you made back there at the meeting. Thanks for backing me up."

Marth cracked a smile. "Well, I wasn't gonna let you stand alone," he explained to his friend. "And technically, I was telling the truth about her command. There has to be another way to beat that Field Boss."

"Well we've got three days until the Assault Team makes another attempt. Let's use that time to come up with another plan."

"Hey. What's with you guys?" The duo turned around and saw that they were joined by Agil and Yuuki.

"Huh?" the Beaters said, puzzled.

"You two and the second in command," Agil explained with his hands on his waist. "You're always getting into it and not in a good way."

"I guess we just don't click, Agil," Kirito replied. The swordsmen flashbacked to the last conversation they had with Asuna on Floor 1.

"Well. She took our advice," the Black Swordsman continued. "But who knew that she'd join the top guild? Or be a floor-clearing badass?"

Marth let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "That's not the words I'd use to describe her," the Dark Swordsman said, before noticing puzzled looks from his friends. "I mean, Asuna is just a lot colder than she used to be. It looks like she's focusing way too hard on clearing the game."

Yuuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've never seen Asuna act that way before. I remember when she used to act way more light-hearted than this."

"Yeah, well you chose to completely ignore our advice and still became a floor-clearing badass anyway."

"True!" Yuuki smiled with pride.

Marth noticed Agil's eyes twinkle with amusement. "What's that look for?"

"Nothing, just noticing how cute you two are together," Agil said, bursting into laughter when he saw their reaction.

The quartet then said goodbye and parted ways, except for Yuuki, who trailed after Marth, much to the latter's annoyance.

**April 11th, 2024**

Both Marth and Kirito were laying on a grassy hill under the shade of a tree in Danac, the main town on Floor 59. They had actually run into each other by chance, and since it seemed like such a nice day, they decided to take a nap somewhere. Before they could, however, they were interrupted by a new arrival.

"Hey guys," Yuuki greeted. "What are you guys doing?"

"About to take a nap under this tree," Marth replied as he and Kirito sat up to face her.

"Isn't it dangerous to sleep out in the open like this? I know we're in a Safe Zone and all, but still…"

"Relax Yuuki," Kirito reassured. "Marth and I used our «Searching» skill to scan the perimeter. There's nothing dangerous around here at all."

"You can join us if you want," Marth added. "There's plenty of room for all three of us."

Yuuki cracked a grin. "Sure. Looks fun."

The swordswoman laid down next to the Dark Swordsman and fell asleep instantly. The Darkness Duo chuckled in amusement before laying back down on the grass and went to sleep. After a while, the trio were awoken by the voice of a familiar fencer.

"What do you three think you're doing?" the voice questioned which revealed to be Asuna, who right behind Kirito's head. She didn't seem to be in a good mood.

The male duo just closed their eyes. "Oh hey," Kirito replied casually. "What's up?"

"Everyone on the Assault Team is working their butts off trying to clear the Labyrinth on this Floor," Asuna said angrily to the trio. "And where do I find you three? Out here, taking a nap. Even if you guys are solo players, you should take this more seriously…"

"Bet you didn't know that this is Aincrad's nicest season," Kirito interrupted. "Today's weather is at its optimal setting."

"Yeah, it'd be a waste to go a dungeon on a day like this," Marth added.

It was obvious that wasn't the response Asuna wanted to hear. "Whatever. I can't believe you two," the K.O.B. vice-commander said coldly. "Do you guys even understand what's going on? Every day here is another one lost in the real world."

"Yeah, except right now we're not in the real world," Kirito replied. "We're alive here in Aincrad."

The female fencer let out a gasp at his response as a gentle breeze picked up.

"See?" Kirito questioned. "Doesn't that breeze feel good? And the sun?"

"Oh, come on," Asuna angrily remarked. "The weather's always the same here."

Marth then stretched his arms and legs and let out a yawn. "If you lay on the grass for a little bit, you'll understand," he said before falling asleep.

"Come on, Asuna," Yuuki encouraged. "There's nothing wrong with an afternoon nap." She then closed her eyes and returned to her sleep.

Asuna looked around a bit before looking up and shielding her eyes from the sunlight. She then stared at Kirito for a few moments and noticed that he was also asleep.

**Later**

It was mid-afternoon when Kirito woke up. He sat up and let out a yawn as he stretched his arms. When he looked to his right, he yelped in surprise as he saw that Asuna was fast asleep on the grass right next to him. The noise caused Marth to wake up from his nap, who was on Kirito's left side.

After he stretched he gave the Black Swordsman a puzzled look. "What's wrong?" Marth asked curiously.

Kirito pointed at the sleeping swordswoman on his right. Marth's eyes widened in disbelief. They then overheard some other players commenting about them sleeping during the day as they passed by.

The Black Swordsman rubbed his eyes with his left hand. "I didn't think she'd fall asleep," he told his friend.

Marth nodded in agreement. "Neither did I," he replied. The duo decided to stay and watch over the other two sleeping teenagers since a player is most vulnerable when they're asleep, even in a Safe Zone.

Yuuki woke up from her nap after an hour while Asuna didn't until it was evening. The trio were sitting on a stone fence nearby keeping watch when the fencer sneezed. They turned their heads and saw the vice-commander slowly sit back up. She looked around for a few seconds and didn't notice a grass clipping stuck to her face. Asuna then noticed the male duo giving her a disbelieved look while Yuuki had a mischievous grin on her face.

"Uh," Asuna stuttered. "W-what."

"Good morning," Kirito teased the girl. "You slept like a rock."

Asuna remembered what happened and quickly stood up. She angrily drew her rapier halfway causing the Darkness Duo to instinctively jump to the opposite side of the fence to avoid a possible attack. Yuuki simply smirked. However, Asuna managed to calm down and hesitantly took her hand off her weapon.

"You get one meal," Asuna muttered.

Marth turned his head puzzled. "Um… what did you say?" he asked nervously.

"You get one meal," Asuna spoke up. "All you can eat, my treat. Then we'll be even. Deal?"

The trio noticed that the grass clipping had fallen off the fencer's face, probably when she stood up quickly. Nonetheless, they accepted her offer.

**Later**

Asuna took them to an NPC restaurant on Floor 57. They had already ordered their food and were getting stares from multiple players. Marth and Kirito sat on one side of the table while Asuna and Yuuki sat on the other.

"That's Asuna from the Knights of the Blood Oath," one player said.

"Yeah," another player replied. "They call her the 'Lightning Flash'."

"And that's Yuuki, the 'Absolute Sword'," a third player added. "They say she's one of the strongest swordswomen in the entire game. But who are the two shady looking guys dressed in black?"

"I think that's the Darkness Duo I've been hearing about," said the second player. "I didn't know that they knew the Lightning Flash or the Absolute Sword."

Kirito held his head with his right hand while Marth had his arms crossed. Both girls could tell that the boys didn't like the attention they were getting.

"Anyway," Asuna said suddenly, trying to break the mood. "Thank you… for today."

Kirito set his hand on the table. "Why?" he asked curiously.

"For keeping an eye on me," Asuna replied.

"And me too," Yuuki added.

"Oh, sure," the Black Swordsman said casually.

Asuna held her hands together on the dinner table. "The towns are supposed to be Safe Zones and unless you agree to a duel, a player can't attack or kill you," she explained. "But when you're asleep you're vulnerable."

Marth nodded. "Yeah. Now we got players who can cheat the duel system," the Dark Swordsman said. "Duels are normally a test of strength, not a fight to the death. But even if you're in a Safe Zone, your HP still drops based on the damage you take in a duel."

"If you ask me, it sounds pretty cowardly," Yuuki added. "The player can't even fight back."

"It is cowardly. All a sleep-PKer has to do is manipulate a sleeping player's hand to have them hit the 'Okay' button," Asuna took over, gripping her hands tightly. "The duel begins like normal. But the PKer is doing all the attacking. God knows how many times it happened. So anyway, thank you."

Both Marth and Kirito jumped back in surprise. "Uh, sure," Kirito said nervously. "Anytime. Well, you'd do the same for us."

The Lightning Flash and Absolute Sword then gave the duo a curious look. "Uh, why are you two looking at us like that?" Marth asked nervously.

"I just realized something," Asuna said. "Back on Floor 1, when you guys invited me to join your party, you two seemed rather close. Neither of you have actually told me how you two met. Was it during the beta test or IRL?"

"Yeah," Yuuki added eagerly. "Spill the beans!"

The Darkness Duo sighed as they knew that someone would ask this eventually. "Marth and I met in the real world when we were little kids," Kirito answered. "We went to the same preschool and have been friends ever since. We also live close to each other, so we had the same middle school too."

Marth cleared his throat and put his arms on the table. "We played a couple of MMOs together," Marth took over. "When the ballot for the closed beta for SAO was launched, we signed up for it together. Kirito and I were thrilled when we learned that we were both selected to do the beta test."

Asuna raised an eyebrow. "Did you guys play solo like you do now or what?" she asked curiously.

Kirito shook his head. "Nah, we were a party right up until the very end," he explained. "The reason why we only fight solo now is so that we can get stronger as quickly as possible. It was my idea, but we promised to each other that if one of us needs help with something, the other will come."

Marth nodded. "Luckily that's only happened very rarely," the Dark Swordsman said. "Most of the time, we can handle any situation on our own." He then glanced at Yuuki's crimson eyes. "By the way, I've got a question for you, Yuuki."

"What is it?"

"Why are your eyes red? Is it because of an in-game item or something because I've never seen anything like it?"

For once, Yuuki fell silent, lowering her eyes at the table.

"If it's personal, you don't need to tell me," Marth said hastily.

"No, it's okay. My eye color isn't because of an in-game item. It's my eye color in real life. When I was born, for some reason I had a lack of melanin in my eyes. The doctors were completely dumbfounded, finding no explanation on why my eyes lacked melanin while the rest of my body was just fine. I was bullied a lot in school because people called them 'demon eyes'. No one wanted to be friends with me since they thought I was cursed. That was when I started wearing colored contacts. Obviously, I don't wear them at home, so the NerveGear scanned my real eye color instead." Yuuki kept her head down. "I bet you all think I'm a freak or something?"

Asuna wrapped her arm around Yuuki's shoulder to comfort her.

"No way," Marth said. "I think your eyes are cool. They really suit you."

"So do I," Kirito said. "Those guys were jerks not realizing how unique your eyes are. They don't have the right to make of fun of them."

Yuuki looked up, looking astonished. "Guys… thank you."

Suddenly a woman's scream could be heard outside. The quartet stood up in sync and looked outside. They mentally agreed to find out what happened and ran outside.

They went straight to the plaza and looked around before Marth pointed high up a building. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw a player in heavy armor being hanged by a rope on a balcony and was impaled with a barbed red spear. A crowd had gathered from under the player.

The trio then ran close to the crowd. "Hurry! Pull it out?!" Kirito shouted desperately at the hanging player. The player looked at the swordsman before trying, and failing, to pull out the spear.

Asuna gritted her teeth. "I'll cut him down," she told the Beaters. "You two catch him. Yuuki, with me!"

"Okay," the Absolute Sword said.

"Got it," Marth acknowledged. Asuna and Yuuki ran into the building while the Darkness Duo went to the player.

"Help's on the way!?" Kirito shouted to the player as they ran. "Hold on!"

Marth clenched his teeth as they watched the player unable to remove the spear. "Darn it," he muttered under his breath.

Suddenly the player started screaming in pain for a few moments before his body went limp and shattered into blue polygons. The spear then fell and hit the ground with a thud. A couple people screamed at what had happened and the two Beaters had stopped running.

"The only way he could've died in a Safe Zone is if he was beaten in a duel," Kirito thought aloud before they turned towards the crowd. "That means…"

"Everyone!" Marth exclaimed. "Look for the player with the 'Winner' icon!"

Everyone looked around but couldn't find the culprit. Asuna and Yuuki then appeared on the balcony where the rope was. "There's no one here!" Asuna told her comrades. "The room's empty!"

The male duo continued to scan the crowd to find the culprit but couldn't find them. Kirito then grabbed the spear and ran into the building to join the girls, with Marth close behind. They found the room she was in and saw that the rope was tied to the leg of a large wooden desk. Asuna was near the wall close to the balcony and had her arms crossed. Yuuki was right next to the Lightning Flash and looked very confused.

Kirito held out the spear to examine it. "So do either of you have an idea how this happened?" he asked.

"Well there's always the obvious," Asuna guessed. "There was a duel and another player impaled the victim with that spear. Then he put a noose around his neck and threw him out the window. Wouldn't you say that's about right?"

Marth shrugged. "Yeah but neither of us could see a player with the 'Winner' icon anywhere," he replied.

Yuuki turned her head towards the Darkness Duo. "It had to be a duel," she told them. "It's a Safe Zone and a player died. A duel's the only thing it could've been."

The quartet overheard a commotion happening outside. The Lightning Flash looked at the rope for a second before facing the male players.

"Or maybe not," Asuna said. "Either way we can't ignore this."

"Yeah," Marth agreed.

"Everyone knows that a player takes huge risks going outside of a Safe Zone," Asuna said. "But if someone's found a way to PK someone inside, no one's going to be safe in the towns either."

Kirito nodded. "You got that right," he replied.

"I guess we won't be going back to the front lines anytime soon," Asuna said before approaching the male duo and extended her hand towards Kirito. "You're both going to work with me until we solve this thing. Until then, there won't be any time for napping, okay?"

Kirito grabbed the fencer's hand. "Okay," the Black Swordsman replied. "But you're the one who was napping."

Both Marth and Yuuki laughed as Asuna angrily gripped Kirito's hand tightly and pulled it towards her very hard.

"Ow!" Kirito exclaimed in pain.

"You kinda deserved that pal," Marth said in-between chuckles before facing the Absolute Sword. "So Yuuki, you wanna help too?"

"You bet! I'm not letting you have all the fun!"

The quartet decided to head back outside and ask if anyone had seen what had happened. When they exited the building, they saw that a crowd of players was waiting for them.

"Listen up," Kirito addressed to the large group. "Did anyone see what happened before that player died? If someone did, please speak up."

A few moments passed before a woman with long blue hair stepped forward.

"Sorry," Asuna said to the girl. "I can't imagine how frightened you are. Could you please tell us your name?"

The woman nodded. "Sure. My name is Yolko," she replied nervously.

Kirito's eyes widened in realization. "Was that you…?" Kirito started to say before rewording his question. "I mean, were you the one that screamed?"

Yolko nodded. "I knew him," she explained to the trio. "His name is Caynz and we used to be in the same guild. Anyway, we came here together today. We were going to have dinner somewhere in town." Yolko started to cry. "But we got separated in the plaza. I looked around for him until I saw him hanging from that balcony."

She covered her mouth with her hands and continued to cry. Asuna did her best to comfort the grieving girl but knew that they still had some more questions.

"Was there… anyone else up there?" Asuna asked hesitantly.

"For a second there, I'm not sure. But I think I did see someone standing behind Caynz," Yolko said prompting the Assault team members to make eye contact for a few seconds.

Marth then faced the blue-haired woman. "And this person, have you seen them before?" the swordsman asked but Yolko just shook her head.

"Um. I know this must be hard for you but try to remember," Yuuki said reluctantly. "Could there be someone that would want to kill him? If so then we need to know who."

Yolko's eyes were filled with grief and shook her head. The quartet decided to escort Yolko back to where she was staying since she was dealing with the loss of a friend. She thanked them for it when they arrived. Asuna then told her that they wanted to talk to her again tomorrow. They then said goodbye before the quartet wandered around town.

"So what do we do now?" Marth wondered aloud.

"Simple. We follow the only solid clue we have," Asuna explained. "If we can find out where that spear came from, it might lead us straight to the killer."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "To do that we need to find someone with an «Appraisal» skill," The swordsman replied. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that neither you nor Yuuki have one."

"Yup," Yuuki confirmed. "Only blacksmiths are merchants would actually have it."

"I don't have one either. And I doubt that you and Marth would have it too," Asuna said before stopping and glaring at Kirito. "And by the way. Try not to act so rude when you speak to me."

Kirito turned towards the fencer. "Oh, should I call you 'Miss' next time?" Kirito asked mockingly, getting a death glare from Asuna in return. "'Vice commander'? 'Lightning Flash'?"

Asuna scoffed. "Oh never mind. Call me 'Asuna'," the Lightning Flash said while looking away from Kirito.

Yuuki stared curiously at the Dark Swordsman, who simply shrugged before clearing his throat causing the others to face him. "Now that that's out of the way. Back to the Appraisal skill. Do either of you know a player who has one?" Marth asked his comrades.

Asuna thought for a moment. "Yuuki and I have two friends who do. They're both blacksmiths, but they're really busy these days so I don't think they'll have the time to help us," she explained.

Kirito cracked a grin. "That's okay," the Black Swordsman said. "I happen to know an item merchant who might be able to help us out."

Marth smiled as he knew just who Kirito was talking about.

**Later**

The trio was in Algade, the town on Floor 50 which the two Beaters called home. The Beaters took Asuna and Yuuki to a weapons shop. When they approached the door, it opened and a player with a lance walked out of the store.

"Thanks, my man," said a familiar voice. "Come back anytime."

The lancer simply waved goodbye, not bothering to turn around.

The Darkness Duo entered the shop. "Looks like you're still running all the suckers down with those hard deals of yours," Kirito told the owner which was none other than Agil.

Agil was behind a bar and turned to face the duo. He was wearing casual clothing. "No way. Kirito and Marth," he said as they approached him. "'Buy cheap and sell cheap'. That's my motto. I'm a business man. You both know that." They all shared a fist bump.

"Yeah, but that 'sell cheap' is a lie though," Marth teased the axe-user.

"Don't go slandering my good name, brother," Agil replied.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Marth said with a laugh.

Agil's eyes widened in shock as he saw the girl duo enter the shop and quickly grabbed the black-colored duo and lowered them under the bar.

"What the hell has gotten into you guys?" Agil quickly asked them. "You two are supposed to be solo players. Why the heck are you guys hanging around with Asuna and Yuuki?!"

The Lightning Flash sweatdropped as she watched the argument while the Absolute Sword was laughing up a storm. After a while, Agil let go of the Darkness Duo so they could explain what was going on. Marth closed the store door before Agil took the group into a room where they could talk in private. Once they were inside, Kirito took out the spear from his inventory and set it on the table. Everyone then sat around it.

"His HP hit zero inside a Safe Zone?" Agil asked after listening to their story. "You sure it wasn't a duel?"

"Well… no one saw a 'Winner' icon anywhere," Kirito answered.

"We can also rule out the murder being a sleep PK," Asuna followed. "He was walking with Yolko before it happened."

"And besides, his death was far too elaborate to be some random duel," Marth concluded. "The PKer had it all planned out. We're pretty sure about that." He lowered his eyes toward the murder weapon. "And then, there's this."

Agil picked up the spear by its handle and activated his «Appraisal» skill and examined the weapon in silence. "A player made this," he said finally.

Asuna and Yuuki gasped while the Beaters were also shocked. "Really?" Kirito asked.

"Who was it? Can you tell?" Asuna questioned.

"'Grimlock'," Agil replied. "Never heard that name before. It's not one of the top blacksmiths, that's for sure. Far as I can tell, there's nothing special about this weapon."

Yuuki looked at the Darkness Duo. "Yeah. But, it's something to go on, right?" she asked.

Kirito nodded before facing Agil. "Is there… like an item name or something listed?" he asked the appraiser slowly.

"You'll love it. It's called 'Guilty Thorn'. That's a name for ya," Agil replied. "It kinda fits though, don't ya think?" He handed the spear to Kirito who held it with his left hand.

"Seriously? That's its name? 'Guilty Thorn'?" Kirito said as he examined the weapon.

The Black Swordsman then examined Guilty Thorn for a few moments before he held it in a reverse grip and raised it up. "Here goes," he said plainly before he lunged the tip at his right palm.

"Wait stop!" Asuna exclaimed as she grabbed Kirito's left wrist, preventing him from stabbing himself. She was on her feet and leaning over the table.

Kirito looked at the K.O.B. vice-commander in confusion. "What's the matter?" the Black Swordsman asked curiously.

"What do you mean 'what's the matter?' Are you out of your mind?! That thing's already killed one person!" Asuna quickly explained.

Kirito looked her in the eyes. "I know. But we need to find out what this thing is capable of, don't we?" he replied.

"Would you stop being so reckless," Asuna said before taking the spear from Kirito and giving it to Agil. "Agil. Would you please hold onto this for us?"

Marth, Yuuki, and Agil were all taken aback by the Lightning Flash's outburst. "Uh yeah, sure," the axe-user said in slight shock as the K.O.B. vice-commander placed the weapon in his hands. Asuna then glared at Kirito.

Since it was very late the group chose to stay at Agil's place since he had a few spare rooms. Asuna and Yuuki shared one, while Marth and Kirito shared another. There was only one bed, so Marth let Kirito get sleep in it while the former slept on the floor. The Black Swordsman protested at first, but Marth was just as stubborn as him. The brown-haired swordsman brought out a sleeping bag and laid it on the ground. He then unequipped his coat, sword, and boots before climbing into it. Kirito just removed his sword and boots and turned off the lights before getting into bed.

"So what are your thoughts on this?" Kirito asked his childhood friend.

Marth let out a sigh. "I think this whole thing is rather odd," he replied. "Who the heck is Grimlock? I feel like there's something we're missing. Something right in front of us."

Kirito shrugged. "Tomorrow we'll be asking Yolko a few more questions," Kirito said. "Maybe she'll fill in the missing pieces."

"Hopefully," Marth muttered before closing his eyes and went to sleep.

**The Next Day**

The quartet were back on Floor 57 at a restaurant with Yolko. The plan was to see if she had left anything out from last night. The restaurant was empty except for the five of them. They were sitting at a table. A few moments of silence passed before Asuna spoke up.

"So uh, Yolko…" the Lightning Flash said hesitantly, not sure where to start. "We were wondering if you've heard of the name Grimlock."

Yolko gasped when she heard the name. "Yes. I have," she replied. "In fact, until a few months ago, he was in the same guild with me and Caynz."

The two Beaters eyed each other and nodded. "Listen. We took the spear that killed Caynz to an appraiser," Kirito said as he faced Yolko. "We had him go over it pretty carefully. We found out that Grimlock made it."

Yolko's eyes widened in shock and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Is there any reason why he did?" Yuuki asked the girl.

Yolko hesitantly nodded and put her hands on the table. "Yes, there is. I should have told you everything yesterday," she explained with her eyes closed. "It's just, I couldn't. It's something I've been trying very hard to forget." Yolko reopened her eyes. "I should tell you… how my guild was destroyed."

It started to rain outside the building. "When we formed it, Golden Apple was the name we chose. Six months ago, we killed a rare monster. It dropped a powerful ring that raises a player's agility by twenty," Yolko continued. "Some of us wanted to keep it for the guild. Others wanted to sell it and split the earnings. We couldn't agree so in the end, we put it to a vote. It was five-three in favor of selling it. Our leader, Griselda, took it to a large town on the front lines. She was going to sell it to a broker and was staying overnight. We waited and waited, but she never came back." Yolko lowered her head. "It wasn't until later that our worst fears had come true. Griselda was dead. To this day, I still don't know how she died."

Kirito looked at the K.O.B. vice-commander. "No one's gonna leave a Safe Zone with a rare item like that. Too risky," he said. "Do you think someone pulled a sleep-PK on her?"

Asuna shook her head. "Not if it was six months ago," she replied. "That method is still sort of new."

"She's got a point," Yuuki agreed.

Kirito held his chin with his right hand. "Yeah. But it wasn't a random victim either," the Black Swordsman theorized. "No, the killer was after the ring. It has to be someone who knew she had it. Which means…"

Yolko looked away. "The killer is one of the seven others in our guild," she concluded.

Marth stared at the former Golden Apple member for a few moments before facing his fellow Clearers. "We have our suspects. Now we just need to find out who didn't want to sell the ring," Marth stated.

The other three nodded. "I doubt the killer waited until after Griselda sold the ring," Asuna replied. "She was killed before she sold it. That's my guess."

"Probably," Kirito said before facing Yolko. "Tell us what you know about Grimlock."

"Well, I guess for starters he was Griselda's husband," Yolko explained. "Oh, but not in real life, just in the game. Griselda was a powerful swordswoman. She was beautiful and smart. Grimlock was kind and I can't remember a day when he wasn't smiling. They made a great couple and got along as husband and wife. If Grimlock really was the one who murdered Caynz, then he's probably going after the guild members who didn't want to sell the ring." She looked away for a second before facing the trio. "Caynz was one of the three who wanted to keep the ring for the guild. I was the other one."

The Clearers gasped in surprise. "Then who's the third person?" Yuuki asked quickly.

"The other is a tank named Schmitt, and last I heard he was on the front lines now with the Holy Dragon Alliance," Yolko replied.

Marth leaned back in his chair. "Schmitt huh," the brown-haired Beater said. "I've heard that name before."

Asuna nodded. "He's the leader of the defense unit of the Holy Dragon Alliance," the Lightning Flash explained. "He's an exceptional lancer."

The two Beaters thought back to Field Boss meeting on Floor 56 and remembered seeing a guy with brown hair in steel armor who oversaw the defense unit.

"Oh, yeah. Him," Kirito realized.

"Wait. Do you really know Schmitt?" Yolko asked surprised.

"Well, I've run into him a couple times while clearing bosses so…" Kirito started to explain.

"I need to see him right away," Yolko begged desperately. "Could you please take me to him? If he's on the front lines, then he probably hasn't heard about the murder." She leaned back in her chair. "He needs to know. Before what happened Caynz, happens to him."

Asuna paused before answering, "We'll help you get in touch with Schmitt. I know someone in the Holy Dragon Alliance. He'll help us out. We'll visit their HQ."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Okay. But first we should make sure she gets back to the inn," he said before facing the former Golden Apple member. "Yolko, you have to stay there okay. Seriously, don't go anywhere until we get back."

"Alright," Yolko said slowly.

After dropping Yolko off at the inn, the Clearers headed for the Warp Gate to get to the Holy Dragon Alliance headquarters.

"Okay, do any of you know how a murder like this happened in a Safe Zone?" Yuuki asked as they were walking.

Marth held his chin with his right hand. "I can think of three ways it could've," the Dark Swordsman theorized. "Right off the bat, it could've started as a fair duel and then it went south or maybe someone took advantage of a bug that combines a bunch of different kill methods."

"Yeah. I can see that happening," Asuna replied. "And the third?"

"Use something to bypass the protection of a Safe Zone," Marth said. "Some kind of skill or maybe an item." He thought for a moment before he stopped walking, causing the others to do the same. "Nah, on second thought that third idea's impossible."

"What do you mean?" Yuuki questioned.

"Because it's unfair," Marth said. "I kind of hate to admit it but it's true. The rules of SAO are essentially fair for all players in the game, so there's no way the game would allow murders in Safe Zones."

"He's right. The system won't give something that can bypass the protection of Safe Zones," Kirito added. "Otherwise there would've been no point in making them in the first place."

"I see," Asuna replied.

Yuuki shrugged. "Makes sense."

**Later**

The quartet had brought Schmitt to the inn where Yolko was staying at. There, they explained everything to the lancer in Yolko's room. Yolko sat in a chair with the back of it facing an open window. Schmitt sat opposite of her and the others were standing near him. It was late in the evening with the in-game sun setting.

Schmitt's left leg was fidgeting and held his face with his right hand. "So that's what killed Caynz," Schmitt said after a few moments of silence. "And you're sure about the spear? Was it really Grimlock's?"

Yolko nodded. "There's no doubt," she said.

Schmitt started to freak out and quickly stood up. "But why would he wait six months to kill him?" the lancer asked in a panicked tone. "Unless… wait could he have stolen the ring? Do you think it's possible that he killed Griselda after all?" He sat back down and hit his leg in frustration. "Does Grimlock want to kill the three of us because we didn't want to sell the damn ring? Is that why he's after you and me now?"

"Maybe Grimlock made the spear for someone else from our guild," Yolko guessed. "And maybe they're the ones who killed Caynz. Or maybe… Griselda's ghost has come back from the dead to get her revenge." The wind started to pick up causing the curtains to rustle.

Schmitt looked at his former guild member confused. "A player can't kill another player inside a Safe Zone," Yolko explained. "But something else like a ghost could."

Schmitt's jaw dropped as he freaked out even more. The other Clearers looked at each other with confused looks. _"Where is Yolko getting all these ideas from?"_ Marth asked himself. _"I know about haunted places IRL, but actual ghosts inside a game?"_

Yolko stood up and her eyes were full of fear. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. So I stayed up thinking," she continued before she started to freak out. "It was everyone's fault. Everyone in the guild is guilty. Her blood is on all of our hands. Her fate was sealed when that ring dropped. We should have done whatever Griselda told us to do."

Everyone was taken aback by Yolko's outburst and watched her back into a window and sit at its base _. "That's odd. Why didn't she just turn around and walk normally to the window?"_ Marth thought.

"Grimlock was the only member of the guild who said we should leave the decision to Griselda," Yolko explained. "You see, he's the only one who can avenge Griselda. He's the only one who has the right to avenge her."

That was not good for Schmitt's nerves because he started to tremble in fear. "You've got to be kidding!" the lancer exclaimed before covering his face with his hands. "Why now? After all this time, why wait this long to kill us?" He lowered his hands and stood up. "You can't be okay with this Yolko?! How can you be okay with being killed over some stupid vendetta?" He was about to approach her, but Kirito grabbed his wrist to stop him.

Suddenly Yolko tensed up as though she had been stabbed from behind. Everyone looked in shock as she turned around revealing a dagger plunged into her back. She fell out of the window, prompting Marth to run to her.

"Yolko!" the Dark Swordsman exclaimed as he watched her body shatter before it hit the ground.

**To be continued**


	8. Illusionary Avenger

**Chapter 8- Illusionary Avenger**

Right after Marth saw Yolko's body shatter, he looked up and saw a cloaked figure on a rooftop of a nearby building in the distance which started to run away. Marth gritted his teeth in anger.

"Keep an eye on Schmitt," Marth ordered before jumping out the window and landed on the roof of a building that was a couple kilometers across from the inn.

"Marth, wait!?" Kirito shouted before he went after the Dark Swordsman.

"Where are you two going?!" Asuna exclaimed as she watched the duo run on the roofs.

"No fair!" Yuuki protested. "Why do they get all the fun?!"

Kirito quickly caught up to his friend and saw that he was pursuing the possible assassin. They wordlessly agreed to catch him and jumped from roof to roof until they ran on one that was parallel to the roof the assassin was on. The assassin glanced at his pursuers before reaching inside his cloak for something. The duo put their right hands on their swords in preparation for a ranged attack. They were shocked when the cloaked person instead pulled out a Teleport Crystal.

"Damn it," Marth muttered before he and Kirito threw some throwing picks at the assassin in an attempt to distract him, but due to them being in a Safe Zone with the «Anti-Criminal Code» in effect, their attacks were blocked by the system. The Beaters gritted their teeth in anger and started to run faster.

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" Kirito wondered aloud.

Before Marth could answer, the church bell rang which distracted the duo, allowing the culprit to teleport away.

"Crap," Marth said in frustration.

"You said it," Kirito agreed.

Since the attacker was long gone now, the solo players went back to the inn. When they opened the door to the room they were in before, they were greeted by a very angry Asuna and an irritated Yuuki, who both had their swords in hand.

"You idiots," Asuna exclaimed in anger. "What's your problem?!"

"You could've at least let me join in, you know!" Yuuki said in annoyance.

The Darkness Duo was speechless. The girls then sheathed their swords.

"So, what happened?" Asuna demanded.

The solo players entered the room, with Kirito closing the door behind them.

"We lost him," the Black Swordsman explained. "He teleported off somewhere."

Marth clenched his left fist in anger while he held the murder dagger in the other.

"The system is supposed to protect players inside the inns," Marth said. "I thought if anywhere she could be safe in here."

"Damn it," Kirito said as he punched the wall in frustration, unable to damage it due to the wall being an Immortal Object.

There were a few moments of silence. "That robe was Griselda's," Schmitt said while he was trembling in fear, prompting the other Clearers to look at him. "That was Griselda's ghost. She's come back to get revenge against us. Think about it. Only a ghost can PK someone in a Safe Zone."

"That wasn't a ghost," Kirito said suddenly, causing Asuna to face him. "Someone's using the system to kill. That's the only way these murders could've happened in a Safe Zone. I know it."

"Yeah," Marth agreed, catching Yuuki's attention. "And when we find the bastard responsible, I'll throw him into prison myself."

The quartet then agreed to take Schmitt to his guild's HQ. After that they went back to Floor 57. It was night, so they sat on a large bench in the park. Marth and Yuuki sat on one side of it while Kirito and Asuna sat on the other. All four of them had their heads down.

"I don't know what to think," Yuuki said. "Was that black robed figure really Griselda's ghost?" She looked up at the sky. "After seeing two people die mysteriously, I'm starting to think it's possible."

Kirito shook his head. "No. That definitely wasn't a ghost," he replied prompting Yuuki to face him. "I bet my life on it. Why would a ghost need a Teleport Crystal?"

Marth's eyes widened in realization. "Teleport Crystal," he said slowly before shaking his head. "Nah. Never mind. Thought I had something."

A couple minutes passed before Asuna held two bundles towards the male solo players. "Here," she told them.

Kirito looked at her puzzled. "What, are those for us?" he asked stupidly.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing? Showing them off?" Asuna said sarcastically.

The Beaters quickly accepted the bundles and opened them, revealing a sandwich in each of them. Asuna then got out sandwiches for her and Yuuki.

"Better eat them fast before they disappear," Asuna explained. "Their durability is almost down to zero."

"Oh. Uh, right," Marth said before they took a bite. They were surprised by how good it was. The quartet started to chow down.

"When did you find time to pick these up?" Kirito asked curiously in between bites.

"I had a feeling we wouldn't have time for lunch today, so I packed them this morning," the Lightning Flash replied. "Hurry up and eat it okay."

"I got to hand it to you. For a second-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, you rock," Marth said. "Where'd you get them anyway?"

Asuna paused before answering. "I made them," she said plainly before getting a disbelieved look from the male solo players. "Yes. I can cook. So what?"

The Darkness Duo was impressed that someone like Asuna would actually work on a skill that doesn't involve fighting.

"Whenever I want good food," Yuuki explained, "I always message Asuna. In my opinion, she's the best cook in SAO."

"W-wow. I don't know what to say," Kirito said nervously. "I mean, if you're looking for a second career, you'd make a killing selling these." He chuckled for a little bit until Asuna stomped her foot on the ground, causing Kirito to drop his sandwich. It shattered the moment it hit the ground. Marth inwardly laughed at the disappointed look on the Black Swordsman's face, while Yuuki didn't even try to hide her laughter.

"Looks like someone should've been eating instead of talking," Yuuki told the Black Swordsman.

Kirito then fell to his knees which gave the appearance that he was crying. "Are you alright?" Marth asked his friend before he shushed him.

"No way!" Kirito said in realization, catching the three on the bench by surprise. "That's it!"

"What is it?" Asuna asked curiously. "What did you figure out?"

"I… no… we never saw a thing. We just thought we did," Kirito explained. "We actually saw something else."

Both Asuna and Yuuki looked confused but Marth caught on to what his friend was talking about.

"Marth and I were right. The game doesn't allow murders in Safe Zones," Kirito continued. "There's no system or weapon exploit."

**Meanwhile on Floor 19**

Schmitt was on a hill outside of town where Griselda's grave was.

"Griselda. The only way I can be saved now is if you forgive me," he begged before getting on his knees. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, Griselda. I swear that I never wanted this to happen. You have to believe me."

A few moments passed before a female voice was heard. "Oh, really?" it asked, prompting the lancer to look up in fear. A few moments passed until Schmitt heard something was behind him. When he turned to look, it was just a rabbit. The lancer sighed in relief before turning to face the grave. Blocking his view was a woman in a dark cloak. Schmitt covered his mouth with his hands to muffle his scream.

"What did you do to me, Schmitt? Tell me!" the cloaked person demanded. "Tell me what you did. Tell me now!" She then revealed a Guilty Thorn that was in her hand, which caused the lancer to freak out even more.

He lowered his head. "Okay. Okay," he said desperately. "The day we voted to sell the ring, I-I looked in my belt pouch and there was a Corridor Crystal and a note with instructions."

"Who were they from?" a male voice questioned. "Who gave them to you?"

Schmitt looked up and saw a man in a black cloak come out of hiding. In his hand was an identical dagger that was used to kill Yolko.

"Grimlock? You're dead too?" Schmitt said in shock.

"Tell me. I want to know who gave you those instructions," the man demanded.

"I don't know. I swear I don't know," the lancer said quickly. "The note said to bind the crystal to Griselda's room at the inn she was staying in so whoever it was could get in. Then I had to put it in the guild shared storage."

"Then what?" the man pressed further.

The lancer lowered his head and closed his eyes. "That's all I did. I swear," Schmitt replied, looking even more terrified. "I didn't want her to die. I didn't want any part in that. Please, believe me!"

There was a couple moments of silence. "We recorded everything you said Schmitt," said a familiar female voice.

Schmitt looked up and saw that the hooded figures were none other than Yolko and Caynz. The lancer's eyes widened in shock.

**Back on Floor 57**

"Wait, they're alive?!" Asuna and Yuuki exclaimed in surprise. Kirito was sitting back on the bench.

"Yep, they're alive," Kirito replied. "Both Caynz and Yolko."

"B-but… h-how?" Asuna struggled to say.

"In a Safe Zone, a player's HP doesn't deplete on its own. But the durability of an object does," Kirito said to the confused fencer. "Just like that sandwich you gave me."

"I'm completely lost," Yuuki said, still looking confused. "What are you talking about?"

Marth's eyes widened as he realized what really happened. "What Kirito is saying is that yesterday when Caynz was hanging from that balcony, the spear wasn't draining his HP. It was draining the durability of his armor," Marth explained. "It wasn't his body that shattered. It was actually his armor."

Kirito nodded. "Right at the precise moment his armor's durability expired, poof. Caynz used a Teleport Crystal to teleport out of his armor," he took over. "Sure, it looks a lot like a player dying in the game, only he didn't die."

Asuna and Yuuki gasped in shock by this revelation. "So what happened to Yolko?" the Lightning Flash asked curiously.

"I bet the dagger was rigged to her back the whole time. She had it all planned out," Kirito replied.

Yuuki leaned on the back of the bench. "But we would've seen it," she rejected.

"Only if she turned around," Marth replied. "Remember, she never turned her back to us. Not even once. She kept an eye on her armor's durability while she was talking. When it was up, all she had to do was act like she got hit by a dagger that was thrown from outside the window."

"Then who was the person you two chased?" Asuna asked the Darkness Duo.

"It wasn't Grimlock, that's for sure. It must have been Caynz. He and Yolko were in on it together," Kirito explained. "They figured out a way to use this method to fake their own deaths. Getting people to think they died in a Safe Zone was a calculated twist."

"So everything they did was to draw out Griselda's killer, and expose him," Asuna realized. "The only way to find out for sure was to fake their own deaths and create an illusionary avenger."

"And Schmitt was the one they pegged. Probably since the beginning," Marth replied.

"Hey, Asuna. You still have Yolko on your friend list, right?" Kirito asked curiously.

The Lightning Flash nodded and opened up her menu. She selected Yolko from her friend list and touched the "Position Check" option.

"Right now, she's on a field on Floor 19," Asuna told them. "It looks like she's on a small hill just outside of town."

"I see," Kirito said. "That's it then. I guess they can handle it from here. I mean our job is pretty much done now, right?"

The other three Clearers nodded in agreement.

**On Floor 19**

Schmitt saw that Yolko was holding a Recording Crystal in her left hand.

"You were… recording," Schmitt said slowly. "So, that's how it is huh? You cared about what happened to Griselda after all."

Caynz nodded. "Of course, we did. And you didn't betray her because you hated her, did you?" he asked.

"No. I didn't hate her. Honest," Schmitt replied with a regretful tone. "I mean sure I feel guilty getting money for my part in it, but the rare item I bought with it helped me get into the Holy Dragon Alliance. So…" The lancer was interrupted when he felt something was thrown into his right shoulder.

Suddenly Schmitt collapsed on the ground and saw a dagger in his shoulder. He could tell from the shocked looks on his former guild mates' faces that they were not responsible. He then noticed a lightning bolt icon next to his HP gauge.

"Paralysis?" the lancer said in confusion. Three players wearing dark cloaks appeared. Two of them (PoH and Red-Eyed Xaxa were their names) pointed their weapons at Yolko and Caynz, while the third (Johnny Black) knelt next to Schmitt. The new arrivals all had orange cursors. PoH had what looked like a meat cutter while Xaxa had an estoc.

"One down," said Johnny Black, excitement etched in his tone.

Schmitt saw a symbol on PoH's glove, which was a black coffin with a sadistic smile as well as a skeletal arm and hand on the right side of it.

"That's one heck of a catch," said PoH as he gleefully watched the helpless lancer. "A big shot from the Holy Dragon Alliance."

"You're from Laughing Coffin. The murder guild," Schmitt realized in shock.

"Alright, what game should we play with these three?" Xaxa asked his accomplices after a few moments. Johnny Black took his dagger out of the stunned lancer, but the poison was still in effect.

"Oh, I know, I know! How about the one where they kill each other and the last one standing wins," Johnny said quickly before laughing.

PoH looked at the knife-wielder. "I know it's your favorite but last time we did that you killed the winner anyway."

Johnny eyed his leader with disappointment. "Oh, come on! You spoiled it," he told PoH. "It's no fun when they know they're all gonna die."

Schmitt looked under Xaxa's hood and saw that he wore a skull mask with red eyes under it. The Red Player sneered.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road," PoH said before approaching the lancer. He raised his weapon and prepared to strike. Schmitt closed his eyes and waited for the attack, but it never came.

Suddenly everyone heard something coming. They all saw two horses galloping straight at them in the distance. The Red Players prepared for a fight before the horses reached them. When they arrived, one of the horses shook its rider off, which was none other than Kirito.

"Ow," he said as he landed flat on his butt.

"Talk about making an entrance," the other rider said sarcastically, which was revealed to be Marth. Marth calmly dismounted from his horse while Kirito got back up. "I told you that you should've increased your «Riding» skill more."

"Whatever," Kirito said nonchalantly. "At least we made it in time."

The Beaters had the horses gallop away before approaching everyone else.

"Anyway, we've got thirty members from the Assault Team coming," Kirito told the murderers. "You want to stick around and fight them?"

PoH let out a growl as the Beaters drew their swords.

"If you want to, we can fight right now," Marth said calmly. "My partner and I can hold you three off long enough for the others to arrive."

The Red Players and Beaters stared at each other for a few minutes before Poh snapped his fingers, signaling his group to stand down. They sheathed their weapons and Yolko fell to her knees in relief.

"Come on," PoH told his accomplices before they walked away.

Xaxa glared at Marth and Kirito as he walked past them. "One day I'll chase both of you on a horse, and then I'll kill you," he said.

Marth turned and faced the retreating Laughing Coffin members. "And one of these days I swear that you'll all answer for your crimes," the Dark Swordsman remarked. "I'll see to that."

The green players watched as PKers disappeared into the night. Kirito used his «Searching» skill to confirm that they were gone while Marth sent a message to Klein that Laughing Coffin had got away and to stand down. The duo then sheathed their swords and sighed before facing the others.

"Nice to you alive again, Yolko," Kirito said casually.

Yolko looked down. "You may not believe me, but after it was over I was going to tell you all the truth." She faced the swordsmen. "I'm so sorry for tricking you guys like that."

Schmitt's paralysis had worn off, so he was able to get on his knees. "Kirito. Marth." The H.D.A. member said to the duo. "Thank you for saving me, but how did you two figure it out? How did you guys know those three would attack us here?"

Marth looked the lancer in the eye. "We didn't figure anything out," he explained. "Kirito and I were just acting on a hunch."

The Black Swordsman faced the two "dead" players. "Hey Yolko. Caynz," Kirito said. "Level with me. You guys asked Grimlock to make the spear and the knife, didn't you?"

Yolko nodded. "We did. But he was against our plan from the beginning," she explained. "All he wanted was to let Griselda rest in peace."

"He did forge the weapons for us but only after we got on our knees and begged him," Caynz finished.

Marth shook his head. "Sorry, but he had a different reason for not liking your plan," he said. "Griselda had nothing to do with it."

Yolko and Caynz gasped in surprise.

"He was worried that faking PKs in a Safe Zone was gonna draw a lot of attention. He didn't want to take the risk of someone snooping around for answers," Kirito explained. "We figured the whole thing out half an hour ago."

**Flashback**

Marth, Kirito, Asuna and Yuuki were at a restaurant sitting like they were the night before.

"We ended playing right into Yolko's hands, didn't we?" Kirito told his fellow Clearers. "You know what, I don't really mind."

The other three players nodded in agreement. "Hey Kirito, Marth," Asuna asked the duo curiously. "If you guys were in a guild and a super rare item like that dropped, what would you do?"

The solo players crossed their arms. "I don't know. Both of us play solo. Part of the reason why is so that we can avoid situations like that," Marth replied. "What about you, Yuuki?"

The Absolute Sword shrugged. "I'm a solo player too, so I wouldn't know. Large groups tend to slow me down, so I either stick to fighting alone or in smaller parties."

"Well in my guild, the player who does the kill gets it," Asuna explained. "Those are the rules we have to play by. You know how in SAO if a player gets a rare drop, no one knows until that player reports it." The others nodded in acknowledgement. "Our way makes sure no one can hoard stuff because we worked out who gets what ahead of time. Also, the rules my guild play by give marriage in this world real meaning. Think about it. If you marry you have to share your item storage with your spouse. If you're single you can hide whatever you want, but once you marry you can't hide it anymore. I think sharing an item storage with the person you're married to is very pragmatic. At the same time, I also think it's very romantic."

An NPC came and delivered the quartet's food.

"Hey Asuna," Kirito said.

"Yeah what?" the Lightning Flash asked.

"So uh, how many times have you been married anyway?" Kirito asked dumbly.

" _Oh, he's so dead,"_ Marth thought as he inwardly smirked.

" _This'll be good,"_ Yuuki thought, trying, and failing, to hide the devious grin forming on her face.

Asuna glared daggers at the Black Swordsman and held a fork threateningly to his face.

"Wait, I didn't mean it. That didn't come out right," Kirito said quickly as he held his hands defensively. "You were talking about how marriage is romantic and plastic…"

"I did not say that, you idiot!" Asuna exclaimed angrily as she kicked Kirito's foot fiercely before lowering her fork. "What I said was that it was romantic and _pragmatic_!" She crossed her arms. "For your information, pragmatic means practical! Jeez."

"You think marriage in this world is practical?" Kirito asked nervously.

"Of course. If you're married, everything is out in the open," Asuna angrily remarked. "You know, because of common storage."

Marth's eyes widened as he realized something. "That's it," he said as he held his chin. "Common storage." He looked up at Asuna. "Hey, say if your spouse dies. What happens to their items?"

Asuna looked puzzled, but Kirito caught on. "Item storage is shared right?" Kirito followed up. "So if one person dies, what happens to their stuff?"

Asuna thought for a moment. "If you guys are talking about Griselda and Grimlock," she replied. "Let's see. If one of them died…"

"Everything would go to the surviving spouse, right?" Marth concluded.

Asuna gasped from the revelation. "If everything goes to the spouse then the ring in Griselda's storage…" Asuna started.

"Would be sitting in Grimlock's storage, not the killer's," Kirito finished. "It's been there the whole time."

"Wait. So the ring was never stolen in the first place?" Yuuki questioned.

"No, it was stolen. It doesn't matter if it's still there. Grimlock was stealing it the minute he put his plan into action," Marth said suddenly.

Both Asuna and Yuuki's eyes widened in shock from the realization.

**Back to the Present**

"It was Grimlock?" Schmitt said shocked. "Then those were his instructions and he killed Griselda too."

Kirito shook his head. "No. I doubt he was the one who actually killed her. Although I'm pretty sure he went and found a Red Player to do it for him."

The former Golden Apple members were surprised. "But if he really did have her killed, why would he go through all that trouble just to help us out?" Yolko asked the duo.

"You explained to him your plan in detail, didn't you?" Marth replied. "Your plan was the perfect way to bury the ring incident and remove any witnesses once and for all. All he had to do was wait for you, Schmitt, and Caynz to get together. You'd be sitting ducks."

"That's it," Schmitt realized. "That's why… Laughing Coffin knew we were here because he hired them."

"Yep. And they're probably the same bunch he hired to kill Griselda too," Kirito said plainly.

Yolko was about to collapse but Caynz caught her in his arms.

"Found him," a new voice cried out. Everyone turned to see Asuna and Yuuki leading a guy who the Beaters assumed to be Grimlock.

"If you want to know more, you can ask the man himself," Kirito told them.

Grimlock looked at his former guildmates. "Hello, long time no see, comrades," he said plainly.

"I can't believe it," Yolko said in shock. "Did you… did you really plan this?"

Grimlock didn't answer.

"How could you Grimlock? Answer me!" Yolko exclaimed, getting increasingly frustrated. "Why did you kill Griselda? Was the money so important that you killed your own wife for it?"

Grimlock let out a chuckle. "Money? Did you say money?" he said, causing everyone to face him. "It wasn't for the money. I had to… No matter what, I had to kill her while we were stuck in this world. I had to kill her while she was still my wife. And because she was my wife in the real world too."

Everyone gasped in surprise.

"In a way, she was the perfect wife. Ideal. So pretty and submissive. The whole time we were together we never had a single fight," Grimlock continued. "But when we were trapped in here, in this world, she changed. In here, I was the one who was afraid. Terrified of playing this death game. But she looked so much happier here. More alive here than in the real world. There was nothing I could do about it. She changed. The woman I loved was gone. Gone. But then I realized I didn't have to live with the way she was, death is a part of this game. If I couldn't have the woman I loved back then I could settle with just the memory of her, and who could blame me?"

Marth gritted his teeth in anger while everyone else was shocked by this. "You're disgusting and deranged," Marth told the mad man. "No one deserves to be married to someone like you."

"Marth's right. That's the reason why you killed your own wife?!" Kirito added. "You're insane."

"It's reason enough. And some day you'll understand too," Grimlock replied. "One day when you find love, believe me you'll do everything to keep it."

Asuna had had enough of listening to Grimlock and sheathed her rapier, while Yuuki did the same her sword. "You're wrong, Grimlock. You've got it all wrong," the Lightning Flash said angrily as she walked in front of him. "You didn't love Griselda. That's not what you felt." She faced Grimlock and glared bitterly at him. "You stopped loving her when you became selfish and possessive!"

Grimlock's eyes widened in shock and fell to his knees. Caynz and Schmitt walked to their former guild member and faced the trio. "Kirito, Marth. We'll take it from here. Thanks for all of your help," Caynz said.

"Alright," Marth replied. "Take care of yourselves."

Caynz and Schmitt grabbed Grimlock's arms and started to take him away. Yolko followed close behind, but not before she bowed at the trio, who returned the gesture. They watched as the former Golden Apple members faded in the distance. The sun started to rise behind the quartet.

Both Marth and Kirito stretched after having pulled an all-nighter.

"Hey, Kirito. Marth. Say if you married someone and one day you found out that she had a side to her that you didn't know about. How would you feel?" Asuna asked hypothetically.

The Beaters looked at the Lightning Flash in surprise.

"I guess… that I was lucky," Kirito replied nervously before seeing the curious look on Asuna's face. "Uh, because… I mean when you marry someone, you already like what you know about them, doesn't it? And if you found something you didn't know before and you fall in love with that too, then that would be awesome."

Yuuki looked Marth in the eye. "What about you, Marth?"

"For me it would probably depend on what that side was," Marth explained. "As long as it's nothing bad, then I wouldn't mind at all. I'd think it's nice to know more about the person you're married to, good and bad."

"Right. Good answers," Asuna said approvingly. "Anyway, I'm hungry after all this. I didn't really get to finish my dinner."

"Oh yeah. None of us did," Kirito replied.

Asuna stretched her arms. "We should get back to work tomorrow," the Lightning Flash said. "We've been off the front lines for two days."

Marth nodded. "Yeah. I've got a lot of stuff I gotta catch up on," the Dark Swordsman replied. "I have to increase some of my skill levels and complete a couple of quests."

"So do I," Yuuki added. "I can't let other players pass me up."

Kirito chuckled in amusement. "You know, you two are pretty similar when it comes to gaming."

Asuna nodded. "You said it. Do all you two ever think about is just getting stronger?" Asuna asked the Dark Swordsman and Absolute Sword, prompting them to blush in embarrassment.

Asuna and Yuuki started to walk to town when Kirito and Marth stopped them. The boys told them to turn around and the quartet saw a woman who must have been Griselda looking at them. Griselda smiled at them, as if giving them her thanks. Asuna looked at Kirito who stared at the ghost open-mouthed, while Yuuki turned her head to Marth, who had the same expression as his friend. When the girls faced the tree again, Griselda was gone.

"Hey Kirito. Marth. Do you guys want to friend me?" Asuna asked the duo. She took into account the surprised looks on their faces. "It's kind of silly not to. It's convenient. We're all on the Assault Team after all."

"But, me and Kirito are solo players," Marth replied idiotically.

"That's a terrible excuse!" Yuuki retorted. "I'm solo and I have people on my friend list, you included, Marth!"

Asuna nodded in agreement. "She's right. Besides, it's not like I'm asking to form a party with you," Asuna said. "Besides, you two need to make some friends while you're stuck here in this world."

Seeing how protesting would do them no good, the Darkness Duo accepted her offer and they added each other to their friend list. Yuuki didn't need to as she was already on the other three's friends list. The quartet headed back to town to find a good restaurant since they ended up skipping dinner. Asuna and Yuuki were in front while the Beaters shared a grin.

"Looks like Asuna is starting to soften up," Marth said quietly.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. I like this version of her more than the cold and heartless Asuna," he whispered.

"My, my. Is the brooding bad boy developing feeling for a certain swordswoman?" Marth teased while winking at his friend.

"Hey!" Kirito exclaimed while blushing.

"What's going on back there?" Asuna asked curiously, who turned to see an embarrassed Kirito and a laughing Marth. "Did I miss something?"

Luckily for the Black Swordsman, his fellow Beater just replied with, "Nothing important."

Asuna raised an eyebrow, but she passed it off and continued walking.

Kirito leaned close to his friend. "Don't think I'll let you off easy for that," he warned. "I've noticed you giving Yuuki a few looks."

This time Marth was the one blushing and Kirito was the one laughing.

"Now what are you two doing?" Yuuki questioned.

The Black Swordsman stopped laughing and said, "Just messing around with each other."

Yuuki just shrugged and turned towards Asuna. "Marth and Kirito are really close, aren't they?" the Absolute Sword said.

Asuna nodded in agreement. "Yeah. They act a lot like brothers. Goes to show just how much they've been through together." She glanced over her shoulder towards the Black Swordsman. "You know, Kirito's kind of cute. I hope I'll be able to form a bond with him like the one he has with Marth."

Yuuki cracked a mischievous grin. "Somebody's got a crush!" she said teasingly, careful not to let the boys overhear.

"Why you…" The Lightning Flash blushed in embarrassment before regaining her resolve. "Oh, yeah? Well I know all about your crush on Marth. Maybe I should tell him about it."

"Gah!" Yuuki yelped, a slight blush on her face. "No, don't you dare!?"

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked obliviously.

The Absolute Sword nearly jumped from her skin while Asuna was laughing up a storm.

"No!" Yuuki exclaimed hastily. "Nothing's wrong!"

Marth and Kirito just shrugged as the group headed back to town.


	9. Mother's Rosario

**Chapter 8x- Mother's Rosario**

**April 20th, 2024**

Marth, Kirito and Yuuki were in a canyon on Floor 50. Marth and Kirito were now wearing blackwyrm coats, though Marth's had gold trimming while Kirito's had white trimming. They also had new swords strapped to their backs in black scabbards.

Yuuki was now wearing obsidian chest armor, a long-sleeved bluebottle violet tunic which showed part of her sides, as well as her shoulders, purple fingerless gloves, a windswept shirt that went a little bit past her thighs and parted on her right leg of the same color, and purple high heeled boots that went all the way up to her knees. She also dyed her hair purple and still had her red headband.

The trio had accepted a quest to kill a field boss that was located in a cave. Marth and Kirito ran into each other by chance and chose to do the quest together, with Yuuki tagging along soon after.

"Are we there yet?" Yuuki asked impatiently.

Kirito opened his map. "We're close, real close."

"Guys look!" Marth pointed to the entrance to a cave. "This must be the place."

"Let's proceed carefully. Who knows what could be in there."

The trio drew their swords and entered the cave. Soon they found themselves in a corridor with a dozen unlit torches.

"There's nothing here," Kirito said.

"That's never a good sign," Marth said cautiously.

As if on cue, all the torches lit up with blue flames, lighting up the room. Right in the center was a woman. She wore metal armor with shoulderpads and held a black scythe with a red blade.

"Foolish humans," the woman said. "Do you think you can best me, Eldridiia, the Guardian of Flames?! Perish for your insolence!"

Three HP bars appeared by the boss. Eldridiia charged at the players, who immediately split up to evade her attack. She swung her scythe at Marth, but the swordsman rolled away while Yuuki activated a Sword Skill and stabbed the boss in the back.

Eldridiia howled in rage and attempted to impale the Absolute Sword with her scythe, but Yuuki was too quick for her. The solo players chose to use the Switch tactic. Kirito started it by knocking the boss's scythe away with a Sword Skill, allowing Yuuki to strike her while she was vulnerable. Marth then moved in and attacked with «Sharp Nail». He began with an upward right to left diagonal slash, followed by a left to right horizontal slash, and concluding it with a downward right to left diagonal slash.

Suddenly Eldridiia teleported to the center of the room and began chanting in a foreign language as runes orbited around her.

"No way," Kirito said in disbelief. "Is that what I think it is?"

"She's using magic!" Marth exclaimed.

"Hey! No fair!" Yuuki protested. "We can't use magic, but _she_ can! Not fair at all!"

The boss unleashed a wall of flames towards the players, who were barely able to jump over it in time. Kirito staggered slightly, his right leg looked a little burnt.

"Kirito!" Marth exclaimed in worry as he saw his partner's HP drop a little.

"I'm alright. Just a scratch is all."

"Incoming!" Yuuki shouted.

The trio moved back and avoided a barrage of green fire balls. They then had to evade multiple fire blasts, with a few hitting here and there.

"Okay, this needs to end _now_!" Marth said.

"Agreed," Kirito said. "So what's the plan?"

"Whenever the boss starts casting a spell, she stops moving," Yuuki explained. "If we attack her while she's chanting…"

"We can not only stop her spell, but we can also take her out," Marth finished. "Great idea, Yuuki."

"Thanks."

Soon Eldridiia began chanting another spell, prompting the players to rush in. Right when the boss was near the final word, Marth interrupted her by thrusting his sword into her chest. She screamed in pain as he pulled it out, but she was granted no reprieve as Kirito unleashed «Deadly Sins» on her. He began with a diagonal slash from the top-right to the bottom-left across her chest, making a full circle spin in the process, drawing his sword backwards in the middle of the spin in preparation for the next attack. The skill continued with Kirito performing a second diagonal slash from the bottom-right to top-left in the same area, followed by a horizontal slash from left to right. He then executed an upward vertical slash, before performing a backwards somersault. This was followed by a horizontal slash from right to left and another full circle spin, which led to a diagonal slash from the bottom-right to the top-left, stopping Kirito at face height. From that position, Kirito concluded the Sword Skill by spinning his sword in a full circle, hitting the boss from his right side.

Yuuki and Marth then moved in and unleashed a barrage of Sword Skills on the boss, taking out what remained of her HP.

"Impossible," Eldridiia said before shattering into polygons.

The trio subsequently collapsed in exhaustion as they received a "Quest Clear" notice.

"Well that was fun," Kirito said sarcastically. "Anyone get anything good?"

"All I got was some Col," Marth said.

"That's strange. I got a new sword called 'Elucidator'. What about you, Yuuki?"

"I got this." Yuuki brought out a rolled-up scroll. "It's called the 'Map of the Sword Saints'."

"I never heard of that item before," Kirito said.

"Neither have I," Marth added. "Try opening it."

Yuuki tried to unroll the scroll but failed. "I can't," she said. "It says I need an Elucidator to initiate the quest. Wait a minute… Kirito, didn't you get an Elucidator?"

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. Hang on. I'll get it out." Kirito then materialized the sword in his hands and nearly dropped it. "Damn! This thing is heavy!"

Elucidator was a black longsword with a handguard that dropped down on the right. Part of the blade was attached to the guard and said blade had light gray outlines.

"Just keep it still so I can touch the sword with the scroll," Yuuki said.

Kirito held out Elucidator and watched as Yuuki touched it with her scroll. As soon as the scroll made contact, both objects began to glow a bright yellow. The scroll opened itself, prompting Kirito to put Elucidator back in his inventory. The Beaters looked over Yuuki's shoulder and saw that the scroll was a map of Floor 50.

"Well this is trash," Yuuki said bitterly. "There's nothing else on here."

"Not quite." Marth pointed to a small alcove on the map. It was called the Chamber of Absolutes. "That alcove isn't on any of our maps. Judging from this map, it's located in the Fuming Forest. This map probably allows us access into the room."

"Oh I see it now!" Yuuki said eagerly, quite literally jumping up and down in excitement. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out."

"Calm down, Yuuki," Kirito said, trying in vain to calm her down. "It's not like the chamber's going anywhere. Besides, I doubt anyone else knows it exists. The quest we got to fight the boss was really out of the way, so there wasn't any information on it."

"Hurry up, slowpokes!" Yuuki shouted, who was already at the mouth of the cave.

The Darkness Duo sighed in defeat. "We really need to get a leash for her," Marth deadpanned.

"Please," Kirito scoffed. "Yuuki's fast enough to drag us around like rag dolls if we did."

"True."

**Later- Fuming Forest**

The trio were wandering around the Fuming Forest. It was very foggy, making it difficult for the players to see properly.

"It's official," Yuuki said in frustration. "We're lost. I know we passed this tree ten times already. And does it have to be so damn foggy here?!"

Marth and Kirito examined their surroundings.

"This does feel like the same place we passed for the last thirty minutes," Kirito said.

"Yep, that's the same tree I saw with a sword marking. Wait… sword marking?"

The trio examined the marking on the tree more closely and found that it looked identical to Elucidator.

"Maybe we need the Elucidator to find the Chamber of Absolutes," Marth guessed.

"Only one way to find out." Kirito materialized Elucidator and gripped the hilt with both hands. As soon as the sword materialized, the blade began pointing to the right of the tree, almost like a compass pointing north.

"That answers whether or not we need Elucidator to finish the quest," Yuuki said. "Lead the way, Kirito!"

The solo players wandered through the fog, following wherever the sword led them. They occasionally had to change direction. After ten minutes, they reached a clearing where two giant marble doors stood, guarding whatever that was on the other side of the rock face that was in the clearing. The players walked towards the door and saw there was an Elucidator-sized indent in it.

Marth and Kirito locked eyes and nodded. The Black Swordsman gently placed the sword into the indent. At once, the doors opened inward, revealing a cave with a hooded NPC inside.

Yuuki eagerly ran to the NPC, while Marth and Kirito walked inside and examined the cave. The chamber was huge and had giant torches on the walls. The NPC had a green cursor and was named Sasaki Kojiro.

"Welcome Demon Slayers!" the NPC said. "I see you have retrieved the legendary scroll and sword from that wretched demoness that stole them from me years ago. Welcome to my meditation chamber. This is where I, Sasaki Kojiro, hone my swordsmanship and where you three will develop your own."

"Who is this guy?" Kirito whispered.

Yuuki looked at the Beater in astonishment. "How do you not know who he is? He's one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history. He's pretty much a sword saint."

"If you say so," Marth said, still a little confused on what was happening.

"By slaying the demoness, you three have earned the right to train under me," Sasaki continued. "The bearer of the scroll shall learn its secrets and create their own technique. As for the wielder of the Elucidator and his partner, the Swordsman of Darkness, they shall improve their reflexes until they are parallel to none."

The trio then received a message saying they've initiated the Secret Quest "Saint of the Swords". When they dismissed the message, the doors slammed shut. Sasaki then created two duplicates of himself, all of which drew their swords as they stood before the players.

"Your training begins now!" Sasaki declared before leading the players into three separate rooms that had training dummies in various sizes. "Dark Swordsman, here you will improve your reaction speed. These dummies will simulate real enemies, but they cannot inflict any lasting damage onto you. Are you ready?"

Marth drew his sword and nodded. "I am."

Several dummies came to life picked weapons from a nearby shelf. Two human-shaped dummies chose a sword and shield, while a third chose a claymore. The dummies circled around the Dark Swordsman before attacking. The first shield-user swung its sword at Marth's head, but he rolled to the side. Marth quickly parried the claymore with his sword, however, he was hit in the back by the third dummy, knocking him to the ground. He did notice that his HP didn't drop at all.

"You must be faster than that," Sasaki instructed. "You must be like the wind, graceful and smooth."

Marth stood back up and charged at the dummies. He slashed the claymore-user in the side before quickly back flipping over one of the shield-users and stabbing them in the back. Marth quickly turned around and blocked the final dummy's sword just in time. The Dark Swordsman forced his opponent back and severed its head, ending it.

"Well done," Sasaki said. "You have talent, but you still have a long way to go."

**A Few Days Later**

Marth, Kirito and Yuuki had learned the use of proper sword techniques and dodging from Sasaki. For Marth and Kirito, Sasaki focused on their reaction speed and dodging while Yuuki was taught the finer arts of swordsmanship and dodging.

"You have all improved greatly since you first arrived," Sasaki said as he led them to the doors. "For your final test, Yuuki, you must break these doors with your sword."

Yuuki looked at her friends nervously before facing the NPC. "Uh, how?"

"Use what I have taught you. This is how you will make your own sword form. By combining what I've taught you with your own knowledge and intuition."

Yuuki sighed and turned to face the doors. She closed her eyes and focused. Suddenly Yuuki's sword began glowing purple before twirled she twirled it and started to rapidly stab at the door. She stabbed the door five times in a straight line from top right to bottom left. She then drew her sword back and did the inverse. Yuuki finished by stabbing right at the intersection of the cross-shape made from the former ten strikes with all her might.

The doors shattered, allowing the light of Aincrad to shine through.

"Congratulations Yuuki," Sasaki praised. "You have created your own sword art, something you would call a Sword Skill. There is nothing else I can teach you. It is time for you to complete your grand quest. Take my sword, for you have earned it. The time has come for me to leave this world." The NPC disappeared in a flash of light.

The players got a notice that they had cleared "Saint of the Swords" quest.

"That was awesome, Yuuki," Kirito praised.

"Yeah, your sword was glowing neon purple," Marth said. "I could barely keep up with your movements. What are you going to call your Original Sword Skill?"

"I'll name it «Mother's Rosario»," the Absolute Sword said with pride. Yuuki noticed that Kirito had Elucidator equipped. "Hey, I thought that sword was too heavy for you."

"It was," Kirito explained. "But fighting those dummies caused me to level up a few times. I invested some points into my strength so now I can carry it around with no problem. This sword should last me up to maybe Floor 90. It even has 100 enhancement slots."

"100!?" Marth and Yuuki shouted in shock.

"No fair," Yuuki complained. "Mine has only 20."

"You do remember the sword you got from clearing the quest, right?" Kirito reminded.

"Oh, right," Yuuki said sheepishly. Yuuki brought out her new sword, which was called Macuahuitl. It was a skinny one-handed purple sword with a black hilt and dull purple gripping that wrapped around the handle of the sword. The scabbard for it was a dark purple.

"Cool! This sword has the same amount of enhancement slots as your Elucidator." She looked up at Marth. "It's a shame you didn't get anything out of this quest though."

"Not quite," Marth said with a smirk. "Sasaki told me about a legendary sword that's in the Dark Woods on Floor 60. I plan on grabbing it."

"I heard about that," Kirito said. "Apparently it's tied to a quest no one's been able to complete. How about we all go together?"

Yuuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah! With my Unique Skill and these new swords, nothing will stop us."

Marth chuckled in amusement. "I think we should message Klein and Asuna for help. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Agreed," Kirito said. "If this quest is as hard as they say it is, we'll need all the help we can get."


	10. The Trial Of Shadow

**Chapter 9- The Trial of Shadow**

**April 30th, 2024**

Marth was in the town called Umbral on Floor 60. The sky was dark and cloudy, which was normal for this Floor. The Dark Swordsman stood outside of a tavern before entering. Inside, he found a cloaked NPC standing behind a bar.

"What brings a young swordsman like you here, young man?" the NPC asked after noticing the player.

"I heard rumors of a powerful sword that can be found around here. Do you know more about it?"

"Ah, you speak of the Sword of Shadow. Legend states that it was a weapon used by an ancient hero in a time long forgotten. It now slumbers inside the Temple of Twilight, located deep inside the Dark Woods, waiting for a new master to claim it. It is said that one must overcome many challenges before they can claim it as their own. Do you believe that you have the strength to overcome these challenges?"

Marth nodded. "Yes, because I won't be going alone. I have my friends to support me right to the very end."

The NPC smiled. "Good. You are aware of the limits one person can do. Best of luck to you, adventurer. You will need it."

Marth got a notification that he had just accepted the quest called "Trial of Shadow". He left the tavern and headed for the inn where he found Yuuki, Kirito, Asuna and Klein waiting for him by a table.

Klein was wearing a new red robe and black armor that resembled what a samurai would wear as well as his red headband. He also had a new katana. Asuna, on the other hand, was wearing a white overcoat with red trimming, a red skirt, and long white boots with red highlights. Strapped to her waist was her new rapier, Lambent Light.

"Well?" the Fuurinkazan leader asked curiously when he saw the Dark Swordsman approach.

"I got the quest. The NPC didn't give any additional information as we had hoped, but we should be fine."

Yuuki cracked a wild grin. "That's the spirit, Marth! There's no way we can't clear this quest!"

"Don't get cocky, Yuuki," Kirito chided. "A lot of high level players died trying to complete this quest, and we're not the first to attempt it as a party."

Marth nodded in agreement. "He's right. This won't be easy. Still, I'm grateful that all of you came here to help me on such short notice. This means a lot to me."

"Of course," Asuna remarked. "What are friends for? My commanders, Heathcliff and Zelgius, were very understanding. They gave me the time off just so I could come and help you."

Marth remembered that not only was the Knights of the Blood Oath the strongest guild in Sword Art Online, it also had two guild leaders, which was unique among guilds.

"As were my guildmates too," Klein added. "Sure, it sucks that they can't come with us, since parties can only have a max of six members in SAO and only one party can attempt the Trial of Shadow quest at a time, but they understood as well. You can count on me for support, Marth!"

"And there's no way you _couldn't_ get me involved," Yuuki stated to the Dark Swordsman. "So when do we leave?"

"That depends," Marth said, "Are you all ready?" Everyone nodded. "Then we leave now!"

Marth, being the party leader, led the others out of the town and they headed towards a large forest covered in darkness. They encountered a few monsters along the way, but they were easily dealt with. Soon the party arrived at the entrance to the Dark Woods. There were ruins of buildings scattered as well as two large statues made of black stone that resembled knights.

"Here goes nothing," Marth muttered before he took one step towards the woods.

Suddenly the eyes on the statues' glowed red, forcing the players to stop in their tracks. The entrance gate was barred shut.

"What's going on?!" Klein yelped.

"Halt, swordsman," the left statue said. "These woods host a great and terrible power within. Only those who prove themselves worthy shall be capable of wielding it."

"If you seek entry, know that once you enter, it will be nigh impossible to leave until the trial is completed," the right statue continued. "Knowing this, do you still wish to take the trial?"

Marth noticed that he got a notification asking if he wanted to take the "Trial of Shadow". He looked over to his friends, who all nodded. Marth selected the "Yes" button, causing the notification to vanish and the gate to open.

"Go then, young swordsman," the right statue said.

"Prove you are worthy of power," the left statue continued. "Prove you are worthy of the slumbering sword."

The light in the statues' eyes died out.

Klein then sighed in relief. "Phew, I thought those statues were going to attack us. I'm glad they're only here to initiate the quest."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kirito chided. "Once we pass through the gate, we won't be able to return until the quest is completed. Is everyone ready?" The others nodded. "Then let's get moving."

The party passed through the gate and found themselves in the forest. It was very foggy, which combined with the dark shadows, made it difficult for the players to see. Luckily there were torches lighting the way.

"What are we supposed to do?" Yuuki questioned as she noticed the fog cover the entrance, trapping them within the forest.

The Dark Swordsman examined the area and said, "My guess… follow the torches. They're probably here to show us the general direction to go in."

"I agree," Kirito said. "Stay on your guard, everyone. I'm getting a bad vibe from this place. It's almost like something could pop up out of nowhere."

The Lightning Flash flinched in fear. "Don't say that, Kirito! You know how much I hate things like that!"

Kirito gave a smug smirk. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

The group followed the path of torches, with Marth in the lead. The ominous fog made it difficult for them to see anything that was a few feet from them, not even the Darkness Duo could see passed it even with their maxed out «Searching» skill. Both Asuna and Yuuki shuddered when they examined the trees more closely. Some of them had spooky faces carved into them. The whole woods was eerily quiet, which unnerved the players.

"This place is creepy," Yuuki voiced. "And there's nothing to fight here too."

Marth, on the other hand, simply shrugged. "Eh, I've seen worse," he passed off.

"Why am I not surprised?" Asuna deadpanned.

Soon the group reached the last torch, but there were no landmarks in sight.

"Great," Klein cursed. "Now what?"

Kirito examined their surroundings before saying, "I think that if we go the wrong way, we'll spawn back at the entrance and we'll have to do this all over again. Since there aren't any more torches, there must be another pathway we have to take."

Marth stared at the trees and noticed something odd. "Hey guys," the Dark Swordsman said. "Some of these trees have star carvings on them instead of faces. Maybe we have to follow those to reach the end."

"Only one way to find out," Kirito replied.

The party followed the trees with stars. Soon the fog cleared up and they found themselves standing before a large ruined temple, which was made of the same material as the statues.

"So this is the Temple of Twilight," Klein commented. "I thought they said this quest would be hard, but we got here with no problem. We didn't even encounter any monsters here."

"Don't pat yourself on the back yet, Klein," Asuna lightly scolded. "The quest said that it has _multiple_ trials. We just completed the first one by arriving here." She narrowed her eyes at the temple. "I've got a bad feeling that things are going to get much more difficult once we go inside."

Yuuki looked ecstatic. "This'll be awesome! Let's go!" The Absolute Sword started to sprint to the temple, only to be stopped when Marth grabbed her by the collar. "Ow! What was that for?!" Yuuki then noticed the stern look on Marth's face.

"I know you're excited, but you can't just run into an unknown area headfirst. And you shouldn't get ahead of the group. We need to stick together. Is that clear?"

Yuuki lowered her head in shame. "Crystal. I'm sorry." The swordswoman then gasped as Marth patted her head before walking past her.

"It's alright," the Dark Swordsman remarked, unaware of the blush on Yuuki's face. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited too. C'mon, we should get moving."

The other party members just stared at the duo in awe, though Kirito had the hint of a tiny smirk on his face. They all then entered the Temple of Twilight, the doors sealing behind them. Torches on the walls then ignited with purple flames, illuminating the corridor. They proceeded down the corridor and soon found a branched hallway.

"Which way should we go?" Asuna asked curiously. "They both look the same."

Suddenly a loud rumble could be heard from the right hall, which grew louder and louder.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Klein muttered nervously.

As if on cue, a large boulder soon appeared, rolling down the right hall.

"Runaway boulder!?" Kirito shouted in fear.

The party hurried down the left hallway, only to be chased by another boulder.

"Seriously!" the samurai exclaimed. "We're not even downhill! How is this thing still chasing us?!"

"Because we're in a video game, Klein," Marth chided. "It doesn't follow the same physics from the real world. Just focus on running!"

"I HATE THIS GAME!?" Klein shouted in outrage.

They soon came across a room with a door, prompting the players to run inside and subsequently close the door. A loud crash could be heard from the other side, which was most likely just the boulder colliding with the wall. The party then let out a sigh in relief.

"Thank goodness we're okay," Asuna said as she tried to catch her breath. "I think my life flashed before my eyes."

Yuuki giggled in amusement. "That was great! Can we do it again?"

Klein slouched in exasperation. "Please tell me you're kidding," the samurai begged. "I'll take fighting monsters any day over running away from giant boulders."

Kirito noticed a peculiar mural on the wall and approached it to examine it. "Hey guys," he called out after a moment. "Take a look at this."

The others went over to the Black Swordsman and saw the mural, which showed a small group of people fighting against a black demonic creature. In front of the group was a lone swordsman wielding a pair of swords, with one being black and the other gold.

"What is this?" Yuuki questioned, having lost her enthusiasm.

"I don't know," Marth admitted. "I've never seen anything like this before. Wish there was some text to tell us the backstory of it."

Suddenly the torches' flames changed to green.

"Now what's happening?!" Klein said.

Multiple Lizardmen and golems then spawned into the room, prompting the players to draw their weapons. The Lizardmen wore chainmail armor and were wielding one-edged swords and small metal shields. The monsters had the players surrounded.

"What was that about not encountering any monsters here, Klein?" Yuuki said teasingly, causing the samurai to groan.

"Let's not point fingers at each other and focus on the fight at hand," Kirito chided.

"Be careful, guys," Marth warned. "These things are really high-leveled. Hit 'em hard and fast."

"Got it," everyone said.

The Dark Swordsman charged at a Lizardman and struck its shield with «Vertical», knocking the shield away. "Yuuki, Switch!" The Absolute Sword rushed towards the Lizardman and stabbed it in the chest with «Vorpal Strike», which was a single thrust with her sword, killing it.

Meanwhile Kirito charged at a golem. The golem swung its arm at the Black Swordsman in an attempt to force the player back, but Kirito rolled out of the way and activated «Horizontal Arc», his sword glowing blue in the process. He began by swinging Elucidator horizontally to the right, cutting through the golem's waist, before flipping his wrists and finishing the skill by swinging his sword in the opposite direction.

"Asuna, Switch!" Kirito exclaimed.

The Lightning Flash lived up to her name as she moved like a blur towards the golem, using Star Splash to stab the golem five times in the chest at high speed. Klein then finished it off with a Sword Skill.

Marth and Yuuki then worked in tandem to defeat another golem. Yuuki used «Slant» to deflect its attack, allowing Marth to strike it with «Horizontal Square». He began by performing a horizontal swing to the left, which was followed by a horizontal swing to the right. The golem attempted to punch the Dark Swordsman, but the Sword Skill had Marth's body spin clockwise, evading the attack while also getting the swordsman at the monster's left flank. Marth then performed the third horizontal strike to the right before finishing the skill with a forehand strike from the right. The golem groaned as a square of light briefly expanded from it before shattering into polygons.

"I told you we make a good team," Yuuki stated, causing Marth to chuckle.

After fifteen minutes, the players managed to kill all the monsters. On the other side of the room, a new door opened, revealing a new pathway. Everyone looked exhausted from the fight.

"*Pant* Did we *Pant* get 'em all?" Klein said in-between breaths.

"Looks *Pant* like it," Asuna replied. "Let's rest for a bit before moving on."

No one argued and sat down to catch their breath. After a brief rest, the party proceeded down the new hallway and went through many different rooms before arriving in a courtyard with a gate on the other side. The courtyard had an old fountain with no water in the center and what appeared to be a garden. By the gate were two statues that looked identical to the statues from before. When the party approached them, the eyes in the statues turned red.

"You have done well to make it this far, swordsman," said the right statue. "But one final test remains."

"The Blade of Shadow must choose if you are worthy to wield its power," the left statue continued. "If it deems you so, then you may claim the Lunara as your own. However, if the Lunara does not find you worthy, then you will lose your life."

"Wait, what?!" the players shouted in disbelief.

"May the shadows favor you, young swordsman," the left statue said. The light in the statues' eyes went out.

A brief silence enveloped the party.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea to do this quest after all," Klein said finally. "This 'final test' might be the reason no one has been able to complete it."

"But we can't quit after making it this far," Marth replied. "Besides, we can't leave until the quest _is_ completed or we fail, so we don't really have a choice in the matter."

The Dark Swordsman approached the gate, which groaned as it slowly opened by itself, revealing a small courtyard with a black sword in a stone pedestal. The party passed through the gate and entered the new courtyard. Marth approached the Lunara and examined it closely. The sword was ornate in design and was completely black and had a wing-shaped cross-guard that faced the pommel. An onyx gem was embedded in the center of the guard which seemed to shine in the light.

_"Here goes nothing,"_ Marth thought before grabbing the Lunara's pommel with both hands and attempted to pull it out. However, as soon as his fingers made contact with the handle, he cried out in pain as it felt like electricity was shooting throughout his body before he was sent sprawling on the ground by an unknown force. The Lunara was then surrounded by a dark, menacing aura.

"Marth!?" Yuuki shouted in worry as she ran to the Dark Swordsman. "Are you okay?"

The swordsman slowly rose to his feet and slowly said, "I-I'm fine."

"Finally," said a deep voice. "After all these years… I am finally free!"

The players looked around the area but found no one else here.

"Who said that?!" Asuna shouted. "Show yourself!"

"As you wish," the voice said.

The aura around the Lunara intensified before revealing a man with pale skin and black armor. His eyes were a crimson red and his hair was a dark black. He had a large sword strapped to his waist.

Klein slightly trembled in fear. "Wh-what in Aincrad is that?"

"I am Jarrod, the Demon King," said the man. He turned his head towards Marth and his eyes flashed with anger. "You! I will make you pay for trapping me in that sword. Prepare to die, human scum!"

The Dark Swordsman raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

"Don't feign ignorance. Once you're dead, your friends will be next. I think the girl in purple will be the first."

The others gasped in shock.

Marth gritted his teeth in rage. "I won't let you lay a finger on Yuuki?!" he shouted. "You're going down, creep!"

Jarrod looked unfazed by the threat. "You haven't changed at all, _boy_." He drew his sword. "You talk tough but let's see if your skills haven't dulled over the years."

"Bring it on!" Yuuki declared.

The players quickly drew their weapons as the gate closed, preventing their escape. Jarrod was then identified as Demon King Jarrod and had three HP bars.

"Looks like he's the final boss of this dungeon," Kirito said as he gripped his Elucidator tightly.

"Watch yourselves, everyone," Asuna said in warning. "This won't be easy."

Jarrod's sword glowed red as he charged at the players, his weapon raised. The party quickly separated to avoid the attack, causing the Demon King to strike the ground instead. The impact created a powerful shockwave that sent the players recoiling back even further.

The players, however, quickly recovered and charged at the boss. Jarrod attempted to swing his sword at the Black Swordsman, but Marth blocked it with Horizontal, allowing Kirito to strike the boss with «Vertical Arc», his sword glowing blue in the process. Kirito began the skill with a diagonal slash from top-left to bottom-middle. Then, as his sword approached the floor, Kirito quickly readjusted his wrist and finished the skill with another diagonal slash from bottom-middle to top-right. The Sword Skill sent Jarrod recoiling into the air while also removing a quarter of his HP.

"Yuuki, with me!" Asuna ordered as she charged at the boss.

"Okay!" the Absolute Sword replied.

The blade of Asuna's Lambent Light glowed a bright green as she activated «Quadruple Pain». She performed four thrusts with her rapier, striking the Demon King in the chest. Due to «Quadruple Pain»'s bonus effect, Jarrod was temporarily immobilized.

"Yuuki, Switch!" the Lightning Flash exclaimed as a purple blur ran past her.

The Absolute Sword's sword glowed purple as she activated «Sharp Nail». She began with a diagonal slash from the bottom-right to top left, slicing through Jarrod's chest, and followed by a horizontal slash from left to right, hitting the same area, before finishing the skill with another diagonal slash from top-right to bottom-left.

"You're up, Klein!" Yuuki shouted at the samurai as Jarrod's first HP bar reduced to zero.

The samurai nodded. "Leave it to me!"

Jarrod howled in rage as he brought his sword down on the samurai, who blocked it with his katana. However, the impact reduced Klein's HP by a quarter and he pinned beneath the large blade.

"A little help here!" Klein shouted.

"Hang on, Klein!" Kirito called out as he ran to the samurai's aid. The Black Swordsman quickly activated «Vorpal Strike» as he charged at the boss, stabbing Jarrod in the right side, sending the boss recoiling back as a result.

"Thanks," Klein said in relief.

"No prob."

Right when the players managed to reduce Jarrod's third HP bar to halfway, he shouted, "Enough!" Jarrod slammed his sword into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked the party off their feet. "I grow tired of this! I will finish you all now!"

Jarrod's body then morphed into a ten-foot-tall demon with his sword changing to match his size.

"Die!" Jarrod's sword began to glow an eerie purple-black. He then swung his sword at Marth, sending a purple beam at the swordsman. Luckily Marth rolled out of the way in time and was barely managed to dodge it. The beam ended up colliding with a wall and briefly covered most of the field in a cloud of dust.

_"He's tough,"_ Marth thought as he checked him and his friends' HP bars, which were all half of their maximum. _"If any of us gets hit by that attack, it's over. What can I do?"_

The Dark Swordsman noticed that he had rolled next to the Lunara, which had darkness seeping out of it. Marth then got an idea and hastily sheathed his sword before once again grasping Lunara's pommel with both hands and attempted to pull it from its pedestal, ignoring the pain he felt as its power flooded into him.

Unfortunately, Jarrod, who was engaged with Kirito and Asuna, noticed what Marth was up to and shouted, "I don't think so!"

The Demon King prepared to send another dark energy blast at the Dark Swordsman, but Klein interrupted him by slashing at his back using a Sword Skill.

"Sorry," Klein said smugly. "Can't let you stop him now, can I?"

"C'mon Marth!" Yuuki encouraged. "Put your back into it!"

Marth let out a howl as he pulled on the black sword. Glimmers of dark light began shining from the pedestal as the sword slowly started to come out. Soon Marth successfully removed the sword from its pedestal and nearly fell backward due to the amount of force he exerted on it. The Dark Swordsman panted in exhaustion as he held the sword in his right hand and examined it. The sword felt perfect in his hand, as if it was made for him in mind, not to mention that it was no longer trying to overwhelm him.

"NO!?" Jarrod shouted in rage before launching another black blast at the Dark Swordsman.

"Marth, watch out!" Yuuki cried out in warning.

Marth quickly turned around and saw the attack coming. He quickly spun to the left and avoided the blast before charging at the boss. Sparks flew in the air as their swords clashed before Marth gained the upper hand and knocked Jarrod's sword away.

"Yuuki, Switch!"

The Absolute Sword acknowledged and charged at the Demon King. Purple flames ignited from her sword as she activated her Unique Skill, «Mother's Rosario», stabbing the boss in the chest at high speed. Yuuki then moved to the side as Marth activated «Vorpal Strike», stabbing Jarrod right in the heart and removing the last of the boss's HP.

"No, not… again," the boss groaned before shattering into blue polygons while the gate reopened.

"Is it… over?" Kirito asked in concern.

"I hope so," Asuna replied before they all collapsed from exhaustion.

"Man, I'm wiped," Klein added.

"Well done," said a new voice, prompting the players to stand up again. A man in a black cloak appeared in front of the pedestal and looked directly at the group. Marth gasped as he realized that it was the same NPC from the bar.

"Who are you?" Yuuki asked.

"I am the Guardian of Darkness," the man said. "It was my charge to watch over the Lunara as it slumbered and contained the evil that is the Demon King until its rightful wielder would appear. I knew that Jarrod would eventually escape from the Sword of Shadow, so I took it upon myself to find the sword's chosen wielder and bring him here."

"You mean the quest was just to find someone to wield a sword?" Klein questioned.

The NPC nodded. "Correct. However, I had to be sure that no one unworthy would lay their hands upon the sacred blade, so I created a series of trials to test their worth." He locked eyes with Marth. "You were able to remove Lunara from its plinth. That in itself has proven that you alone are the one to wield the sword. As you grow in strength, so too does the Lunara. The Trial of Shadow has been completed. Accept these as your reward, heroes."

The players got a notification stating that the quest has been completed, as well as what rare items they had received. Lunara then disappeared from Marth's hand, only for another notification to reveal that it was a bonus item for the Dark Swordsman.

"I can't believe we actually cleared this quest," Marth said in awe.

"Neither do I," Kirito replied before smiling as he placed his right hand on his partner's shoulder. "But hey, at least you got yourself a new weapon, and a powerful one at that."

"Yeah," Marth agreed.

"I will now send you back to Umbral," the NPC continued. "Remember what you have learned here. Farewell, heroes."

A bright light consumed the party before they found themselves in the plaza of Umbral.

"Does anyone else think that quest was a little odd?" Klein asked.

Asuna nodded. "Yeah. It felt different from most other quests in Aincrad. Why is that?"

"Who cares?" Yuuki said cheerfully. "We got some awesome stuff from it, including a legendary weapon for Marth! There's not much else to think about, right Marth?"

The Dark Swordsman shrugged. "I guess, but something still bugging me."

"What is it?" Kirito asked.

"When Jarrod appeared, it felt like I had met him before," Marth explained. "He said that I was the one who sealed him inside the Lunara, but I would've remembered something like that."

Klein shrugged. "That's probably what he was programmed to say. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

The party ended up leaving the debate as is and went their separate ways to fulfill their own obligations.


	11. Temperature Of The Heart

**Chapter 10- Temperature of the Heart**

**June 24, 2024**

Asuna was at blacksmith's shop in Lindarth on Floor 48. It was run by her friends Lisbeth, who also went by "Liz" with her friends, and Celina. Liz had dyed her short hair pink, which is naturally brown, and her outfit looked more akin to a waitress than a blacksmith. She wore a dark red top with puffed sleeves, a flared skirt of the same color, a white apron, regular shoes, and a red ribbon across her chest. Celina had long dark brown hair and her outfit was a red jacket with a white undershirt, black pants, and black high-heeled shoes.

The two had been a pair since they started blacksmithing and were considered to be some of the best player blacksmiths in the game. Right now, Lisbeth was sharpening Asuna's rapier, Lambent Light. After she got it just the way she wanted, Lisbeth put the rapier back in its scabbard.

"There we go. All done," Lisbeth said as she handed the rapier back to its owner.

"Thanks Liz. You're the best," Asuna replied as she paid the blacksmith.

"Sure. Anytime," Lisbeth said.

Celina had finished making a sword and looked at the chestnut-haired fencer.

"Hey Asuna, weren't you supposed to go hunting with your guild today?" Celina asked curiously.

Asuna paused before answering. "Yeah. I had to take the day off because I sort of have this meeting with someone," she said with a slight blush.

The blacksmiths noticed that Asuna was wearing purple studded earrings, indicating that it wasn't an ordinary meeting.

"I bet you have a 'little meeting'," Lisbeth said teasingly.

"No. It's not like that," Asuna passed off before hearing the town bell. "I've got to go. Bye." She quickly ran up the stairs to the door.

"I bet he must be pretty special, whoever he is," Lisbeth whispered. Only Celina heard what her partner said.

"Did you say something, Liz?" Asuna asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it," Celina answered before winking. "Besides, it's rude to keep your date waiting."

Asuna blushed in embarrassment. "I told you guys it's not like that," she said quickly. "Oh never mind." She waved goodbye and hurried out of the building.

Lisbeth let out a sigh and faced her partner. "Asuna's so lucky. Do you think I'll find someone special?" she asked.

Celina nodded. "I'm sure you will. Just give it time," the brown-haired blacksmith replied.

Suddenly Yuuki came running into the room. She also seemed to be out of breath.

"Hi Yuuki," Celina greeted.

The Absolute Sword held out her Macuahuitl to the brown-haired blacksmith. "Can you please restore my sword?"

Celina looked confused since she had already examined Yuuki's sword five days ago, but took it nonetheless. "Okay. Just be patient while I work."

"Okay, spill," Lisbeth added as her partner began working on Yuuki's sword. "You seem to be in more of a rush than usual, Yuuki. Is everything okay?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… I've got a very important meeting with someone. We're going to go hunting and I don't want to mess it up."

Lisbeth noticed that Yuuki was also wearing black earrings. "Looks like someone's going on a date," the blacksmith said with a mischievous smile, causing Yuuki to blush.

"N-no I'm not!" Yuuki protested. "I'm just meeting with a friend, that's all!"

Celina laughed in amusement as she continued working on the Absolute Sword's weapon. "Whatever it is, I bet this person you're meeting is pretty special. Why else would you come rushing in here to check on your sword?"

The blush on Yuuki's face got deeper. "You guys are so mean!"

After a few minutes, Celina finished restoring Yuuki's sword and gave it back to her in exchange for her payment. The Absolute Sword said goodbye to her friends and rushed out of the building.

**The Next Day**

The two blacksmiths were forging new weapons to meet their quota. When they heard the doorbell ring, they went to greet the customers.

"Welcome to Lisbeth and Celina's blacksmith shop," Lisbeth greeted.

"How can we help you?" Celina finished.

There were two other people in the shop, which were none other than Kirito and Marth. Their outfits were largely the same, but Marth now had Lunara strapped to his back in a black scabbard.

The Darkness Duo faced the blacksmiths. "Hi. My friend and I were wondering if you guys do custom orders," Kirito said to the girls.

The blacksmith duo walked behind the counter and observed the two customers. " _They don't look like they have that much money,_ " Celina thought.

"We do, but the thing is, metal prices are kinda high these days," Lisbeth explained.

"We're not worried about the cost. We just want the best sword you two can make for each of us as soon as possible," Marth replied.

"Well, we make a lot of different swords. But if you can tell us the quality of the sword you want, we can make it," Celina told the sword duo.

"Oh, sure. One second," Kirito said before he and his partner removed their swords from their backs and held them out to the blacksmiths. "So, we were looking for swords as good as or better than these."

Kirito handed his sword to Lisbeth while Marth gave his to Celina. Both girls ended up immediately dropping the swords on the counter because of how heavy they were.

" _Geez. How in the world is this guy able to hold this thing like it's nothing?_ " Celina asked herself, having some newfound respect for the Dark Swordsman.

The female duo appraised the swords and were shocked at what they were.

"An Elucidator?! This is one of the best swords a player can get from a monster drop," Lisbeth said before facing her partner, who had a shocked expression on her face. "What about the other guy's weapon?"

"Impossible. It's a Lunara. It's one of the strongest swords you can get from a quest," Celina replied. "This is my first time seeing one in person." She looked up at Marth. "You're the only person I've met that has one. How'd you get it, because no one's been able to find the quest for it since someone cleared it?"

Marth let out a deep sigh. "That's because I'm the one who cleared it," he said calmly, shocking the brown-haired blacksmith.

"No way! There were rumors that the quest was nearly impossible to complete. How on earth did you do it?" Celina asked quickly.

Marth sweatdropped. "The quest was extremely challenging, and I had a few close calls," the Dark Swordsman explained before glancing at his best friend with a smirk. "Luckily, I had some friends backing me up and we cleared it together." He crossed his arms. "Of course, none of us knew that it was a unique quest, meaning it can only be completed once by one party in the entire game. Sure, I got Lunara as a bonus reward, but it kept other players from getting it too. That's the only thing I regret about it."

The girls were taken aback by this. _"He has possibly one of the best swords in the entire game and he's sorry that he got it. What a weirdo,"_ Celina thought.

Kirito cleared his throat, snapping the girls out of their thoughts. "Anyway. Do you two think you can do it?" the Black Swordsman asked curiously.

The female duo thought for a bit before handing the boys a sword each. "Try these. They're the best swords we ever forged," Lisbeth said. "We like to call them our masterpieces."

Both Beaters swung the swords a couple of times. "I don't know. This one's a little light," Kirito said.

"Same with this one," Marth followed up.

"They should be. Liz and I used speed-type metals to forge them," Celina replied.

Kirito examined the sword. "I'd like to test this sword, if you don't mind?" he told the female duo.

"Test it how?" Lisbeth asked nervously.

"You know, its durability," Kirito said before grabbing Elucidator with his left hand and held it perpendicular with his arm.

"What the hell are you thinking? If you break your sword, I'm not responsible…" Lisbeth said quickly.

"If it breaks then that's too bad," Kirito said as he activated a Sword Skill with Lisbeth's sword and struck the flat of Elucidator's blade with it. Everyone was surprised when the part of Lisbeth's sword that hit Kirito's broke off and landed a few feet away before shattering into polygons while Elucidator was undamaged.

Lisbeth let out a scream before running in front of Kirito and grabbing her sword from his hands. "You broke my… masterpiece," Lisbeth said stunned before the rest of the sword shattered.

The pink-haired blacksmith fell to her knees in grief. She then quickly stood up and grabbed the collar of Kirito's shirt.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Lisbeth yelled angrily at the Black Swordsman.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think your sword would break so easy. Honest," Kirito said quickly, which only made Lisbeth even angrier.

"Are you saying that my sword, my masterpiece, was lamer than you thought?" Lisbeth asked angrily.

Kirito awkwardly looked away from the blacksmith. "Yeah. Sort of," he admitted slowly.

Celina looked at his companion. "Is he always like that?" she asked curiously.

Marth nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much," he said before handing her back her sword. "Here. I'd rather not break your sword. Lunara is really strong so if I tested yours, I'd get the same result as my friend here."

Celina gratefully accepted her sword back. "Yeah, I've heard rumors that the Lunara has the highest durability in the game. Thanks for not doing what your friend did," she replied.

They watched Lisbeth have a rage fit with Kirito, who had let go of the latter's shirt.

"For your information. If Celina and I had the right materials, we could make a bunch of swords that could shatter yours into a million tiny, little pieces. You got that?" Lisbeth ranted.

Kirito smirked smugly. "Oh yeah? That sounds like the kind of swords we're looking for. Just as long as they can shatter ours though," he remarked.

Lisbeth's face went red with anger. "Alright smarty-pants, but you and your friend are going to have to help us make them every step of the way," she said.

"Seriously?" Marth asked, obviously not thrilled about the idea.

"Yes. And we'll start by getting the metal for them," Lisbeth replied.

"I think we can handle that ourselves. I wouldn't want you two slowing us down," Kirito said plainly.

Lisbeth crossed her arms. "Don't you dare insult us. For your information, I'm an expert mace user," she replied.

"And I'm pretty good with a sword and shield," Celina followed up.

"Suit yourselves. So where are we going to get the metal?" Marth asked as he and Kirito put their swords back in their sheaths and strapped them to their backs.

"I heard a rumor that there's a rare metal in the Western Mountain on Floor 55. It comes from a dragon that eats crystals and stores the metal in its body," Celina replied.

"Floor 55 huh? Yeah, I think my partner and I can…" Kirito started to say.

"And they say that in order to get the metal you need to bring a master smith along," Lisbeth interrupted with a devious grin on her face. "Still think you guys can handle it on your own?"

The sword duo sighed in defeat. "Alright, you two can tag along. But promise me that you'll both stay out of the way," Marth said. "I wouldn't want you two getting hurt out there."

"What did you just say?!" Lisbeth asked in frustration.

"By the way, my name's Kirito. And that's my best friend, Marth," the Black Swordsman introduced. "It looks like we're all a party until we make those swords."

"Yeah. Whatever, Kirito," Lisbeth replied.

"Well if that's how you're gonna be, I can roll with it, Lizz-beth," Kirito said teasingly.

Lisbeth grunted in frustration from Kirito's teasing.

**Later**

The group was on the Western Mountain, heading for where the dragon was. The entire area was covered in snow and ice. The girls were freezing while the boys weren't, no doubt due to their black coats.

"It's freezing," Celina said while shivering.

"Then you girls should have brought a coat or something," Marth said plainly.

"How were we supposed to know that it would be so fricken cold here?!" Celina angrily remarked.

The sword duo opened their inventories, and each tossed the girls a black winter cloak.

"Are you guys going to okay without these?" Lisbeth asked.

Kirito adjusted his collar. "You don't feel cold if you're disciplined," he casually stated.

"That, and we're wearing black dragon leather coats," Marth followed up.

"If you guys are trying to tick us off, it's working," Celina stated as she and Lisbeth put on the cloaks. Immediately, they felt a lot warmer. "Sure is warm though."

"I can't believe that we're out here alone with two guys," Lisbeth whispered to her partner. "This is getting weird."

"Tell me about it."

The Beaters noticed that the girls weren't moving. "What's the matter, you two? You guys giving up already?" Marth asked.

"Not on your life. And if you guys are going to be rude, at least call me 'Liz'," the pink haired blacksmith angrily remarked.

"Okay. Okay. Got it, _Liz_ ," Kirito said.

"Yeah, well don't wear it out!" Lisbeth exclaimed.

The group continued heading for where the dragon was. During that time, Celina decided to pass the time with a little conversation with a certain brown-haired swordsman.

"So why are you and Kirito in such a hurry to get a powerful sword?" she asked curiously. "Especially since you've pretty much got the best sword in SAO."

Marth lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that, at least not now," he replied before seeing the sad look on her face. "Ask me again after we make the sword, then I'll tell you."

Celina nodded in understanding. " _Talk about a strange guy. I wonder if he and Kirito are hiding something,_ " she wondered in her head.

**Later**

They arrived in a field of clear blue crystals, and in the center of it was an enormous cluster of them. The girls looked in amazement at how beautiful it looked. They were about to approach the cluster, but the boys stopped them by grabbing them by the collars of their cloaks.

"What was that about?" Celina asked them.

"You two should get your Teleport Crystals ready," Kirito replied, causing the two complained as they did so. "And Marth and I are doing this part alone. Once the dragon appears, you two will hide under one of the crystals. Don't come out no matter what."

"Oh, come on. Celina and I aren't nubes," Lisbeth complained. "If we want to help you, we can darn well…"

"Do what he says," Marth said suddenly, shocking everyone, except Kirito, with his outburst. Realizing his mistake, he shook his head. "Sorry about that. Look, we're just trying to protect you."

The female duo reluctantly agreed. "Good. Let's get going," Kirito said as he patted Lisbeth on the head before walking past her. Marth followed close behind.

Lisbeth and her friend stood there frozen for different reasons. For Liz, Kirito touching her head, and for Celina, Marth's outburst. They snapped out of their trance when a mighty roar was heard. The sound came from the middle of the field. The Beaters drew their swords in response.

"Hurry and take cover," Marth warned.

"Okay," Celina said before she and Lisbeth hid behind one of the nearby small crystal clusters.

The large crystal cluster from the middle of the field morphed into a giant blue dragon with crystals around its body. It roared at the solo players and flapped its wings hard, stirring up the snow. The duo just calmly stared at the beast and waited for it to attack. The inside of the dragon's mouth started to glow blue.

"Watch out! It's a breath attack!" Lisbeth exclaimed in warning as she and her friend drew their weapons.

The dragon launched its attack at the male duo, whom easily deflected it by each using the same Sword Skill. The attack did cause a burst of wind which caused their coats to rustle in it. They subsequently charged at the monster.

"Wow!" Celina said amazed. "They did that with those skinny swords. Just who are they?"

Lisbeth was too stunned to answer as they watched the boys take on the dragon. The Darkness Duo slashed at multiple parts of its body. Kirito even managed to severe its left arm using a Sword Skill.

Lisbeth gritted her teeth and came out of hiding. "Will you guys stop playing around with it and finish it off already?" she said impatiently.

"Liz, get back here now!" Celina warned as she left the hiding spot to drag her friend back.

The boys heard their voices. "Damn it. Don't come out yet!" Kirito exclaimed.

But it was too late. The dragon changed its target to the girls and prepared to attack.

"What's the big deal? They've got it right where they…" Lisbeth started to say before the dragon flapped its wings, but much harder than last time. It created a strong wind that not only stirred up the snow, it carried the girls away too. The sword duo each landed on a crystal and jumped toward the girls.

"Liz!" Kirito exclaimed as he jumped.

"Celina!" Marth exclaimed as he did the same.

The blacksmiths were blown into a giant pit and screamed as they fell. Kirito managed to grab Liz's hand while Marth did the same with Celina.

"Hang on to me Liz/Celina!" Kirito and Marth exclaimed in sync to the respective girl.

The Beaters pulled the girls close and held them with both arms as the boys positioned themselves to absorb more of the impact of the fall than the girls. When everyone woke up, the girls found themselves at the bottom of the pit and on top of the boys, whose HP were in the red zone since they took most of the fall. The girls' HP were in the yellow zone.

"Are we still alive?" Marth asked quietly.

Both of the girls got off of the boys and sat down.

"It looks like it," Lisbeth replied.

The Beaters sat up and handed the blacksmiths they saved a health potion, which they subsequently took.

"Drink one of these just in case," Kirito told them before he and his partner drank theirs.

The girls watched the solo players' HP replenished to full and drank theirs.

"Thanks… for saving us," Celina said apologetically.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for me, you two wouldn't have come so close to dying," Lisbeth added.

The boys finished up their potions and looked around. The pit they were in was big enough to hold the dragon they were fighting, and then some.

"It's a little early to be thanking us," Kirito said plainly as he looked up. "We have to find a way out of here first."

"Can't we just teleport out?" Lisbeth asked. She got out her Teleport Crystal and tried to warp back to Lindarth, but nothing happened.

"No way," Celina said in disbelief.

The Beaters stood up. "Well, if we can't use crystals, then that means there should be another way out of here," Kirito theorized.

"How can you be so sure there is? What if this is a trap meant to kill anyone who falls into it?" Celina asked in a panicked tone.

"Good point. Maybe it is," Marth said casually.

That annoyed the girls. "Would it kill you two to at least try to cheer us up?" Lisbeth asked in frustration.

Kirito thought for a moment. "I think I have an idea," he told the group.

"What is it?" Celina said curiously.

"We could try running up the wall," Kirito said casually.

Marth nodded. "Sounds like a good idea," he replied.

The girls looked at the boys like they were stupid.

"You guys are insane," Lisbeth deadpanned.

"Maybe, but that's all I've got for ideas right now," Kirito replied.

The Beaters stood shoulder to shoulder and took a few steps back. They broke into run and jumped on the wall. Much to the girls' surprise, the swordsmen were actually running up it.

"No way," said an astonished Celina.

Unfortunately, they were only able to go a few feet before slipping on some ice, causing them to lose their footing. The duo screamed as they fell and made Kirito and Marth shaped holes in the snowy ground. They then grabbed onto the edges of the holes they made and pulled themselves up.

"If Marth and I had more of a running start we probably could've made it," Kirito said.

The girls knelt beside the duo and helped them up.

"Yeah, I doubt it," Lisbeth replied.

"But you both get points for trying," Celina joked, trying to lighten the mood. At that moment, she could've sworn she saw Marth crack a smile. "So you can smile?"

Marth sighed. "Of course I can," he said plainly. "You just never seen me do it."

**That Night**

Marth and Kirito got out sleeping bags for everyone, and a lantern for light and a little warmth. Celina and Marth laid on one side of the lantern, while Lisbeth and Kirito were on the other. They were looking up at the stars.

"It's kind of funny. This wouldn't happen in real life," Celina said while stargazing. "You know, going to strange places, meeting a total stranger, and then sleeping next to them."

Lisbeth nodded. "Yeah. You guys actually tried running up that wall. You two really are weirdos, you know that?" she added.

Kirito gave Lisbeth a hurt look. "Well excuse us for trying to come up with an escape plan?" he replied, causing the girls to laugh.

"Hey Kirito, Marth. Can I ask you something?" Celina asked.

"Sure. Go right ahead," Marth replied.

The girls sat up and faced the boys.

"Why did you guys risk your lives like that to save us?" Celina questioned.

Kirito looked at the sky. "I can't stand by and let someone die," the Black Swordsman replied. "I'd rather die alongside them than do nothing." He looked at Lisbeth. "Especially if those people are girls like you and Celina."

Marth nodded. "It's similar with me. I can't stand it when people suffer," the Dark Swordsman followed up. "I'd rather do everything in my power to help them than sit back and watch."

The blacksmiths stared at the duo in awe. "Wow. You guys really are idiots," Lisbeth said. "You've got to be the only people who think like that."

The girls laid back down.

"Hey Kirito. Can you hold my hand?" Liz asked suddenly.

"Can you do the same for me, Marth?" Celina followed up.

The Beaters were surprised by that. They looked at the girls and saw that they desperately needed the comfort.

"Sure," Kirito said.

"Alright," Marth added.

The duo on each side of the lantern held each other's hands and stared at each other. The girls were surprised at how warm it felt.

"It's so warm. Even though we're all just a bunch of ones and zeroes in a virtual world," Lisbeth said.

"I know," Kirito replied.

"Thanks, Marth. I needed that," Celina told the swordsman with a light smile.

Marth simply returned the gesture. "You're welcome," he replied.

Everyone closed their eyes and fell asleep. The girls had a smile on their faces as they did so.

**The Next Day**

The girls woke up and heard something digging. They turned to the source and saw that it was the Darkness Duo digging in the snow with their hands. They thought about last night and had different reactions, with Lisbeth hitting her cheeks to snap out of it while Celina was blushing in embarrassment.

They got up and walked towards the Darkness Duo.

"What are you two doing?" Lisbeth asked curiously.

"Here. Look," Marth said as he and Kirito each showed them a pale green ingot in their right hands.

The blacksmiths quickly appraised them which revealed that they were called Crystallite Ingots.

"Are these what I think they are?" Celina started to say.

"Uh huh. They're the special metal we came all this way for," Kirito explained. "It's like you said. The dragon eats the crystals and it turns into this in its stomach." The Darkness Duo stood up and handed the two ingots to the blacksmiths. "No wonder it's so hard to find."

"Yeah… but you guys found them," Lisbeth replied. "But what are these things doing down here though?"

The sword duo took a couple steps away from the girls. "This pit isn't a trap like we thought it was. It's the dragon's nest," Kirito answered.

"R-really," Celina stuttered nervously.

Marth nodded as the Beaters faced the blacksmiths. "Yep. And those aren't just ingots. They're dragon excrement," Marth explained. "You know… poop."

It took a few seconds for the girls to register what they heard. Once they did, they quickly tossed the ingots away in disgust, which the boys just caught them in one hand with no problem. They then put the ingots in their inventories so that they wouldn't lose them.

"Well… I guess this means we got what we came here for. Still stuck though," Kirito said.

Celina realized something. "Wait. This is supposed to be a dragon's nest, right?" she asked the Beaters. She got a nod in response. "Because dragons in this game are nocturnal, so it won't be long before it comes…" She didn't need to finish her sentence because they all looked up and saw the beast coming.

"It's here!" Lisbeth exclaimed in worry.

The dragon roared as it saw the intruders. Marth and Kirito quickly put Celina and Lisbeth on their shoulders respectfully, getting some protests from the girls in the process. They then swung their swords to swirl up the snow, creating a snow-like cloud. When the dragon came to the ground, the players weren't there anymore. Lisbeth and Celina watched as the boys carried them up the wall before they jumped off it.

"You girls better hang on!" Kirito exclaimed.

The duo plunged their swords into the dragon's back, causing it to fly back up.

"Almost there," Marth said as they neared the top.

Once the dragon reached the top of the pit, the duo removed their swords and jumped off. Luckily the dragon didn't pursue them. The group looked at the sunrise as they fell toward the ground. Kirito and Marth extended their hand to Lisbeth and Celina respectfully, who gladly accepted it. The girls said something to them, but sword duo couldn't hear them from the wind. Instead the girls just hugged them tight and laughed as they fell.

**Later**

The group was back at the blacksmith shop in Lindarth. The girls had finished heating up the ingots and prepared to forge them.

"You both wanted a one-handed longsword, right?" Lisbeth asked the duo.

"Yep. Make them awesome," Kirito replied.

The girls took a deep breath before they began striking the ingots with blacksmith hammers.

" _I know now. I couldn't tell before but now I do,_ " Celina thought as she forged a sword for the Dark Swordsman. " _I knew that Marth was special, right when I saw his Lunara. But I didn't know how special. I've got to do my best to make him the best sword I can. He'll need it for the upcoming battles. I can tell that he and Kirito will be the ones to end this world, and free us all. I can't let him down._ "

After a lot of strikes, the ingots started to glow a bright red. The swordsmen watched in awe as the metals morphed into swords. The sword Lisbeth made was an aqua color with the hilt being a darker blue. The cross guard was completely perpendicular with the hilt and looked like a pair of dagger blades. At the center of the guard was a large aquamarine gem.

The one Celina made looked identical to Lisbeth's except the colors were inverted and the gem was a sapphire instead. The girls then identified the swords with their Appraisal skill.

"This sword is called Dark Repulser," Lisbeth explained. "One of a kind. And it's not even in the Info Broker's Directory."

"And this sword is called Light Repulser," Celina followed up. "It's practically a twin of Dark Repulser. This one's also not part of the directory."

Lisbeth faced the swordsmen. "Go on. Try them out," she told the Beaters.

"Oh. Okay," Marth said as he and Kirito grabbed Light Repulser and Dark Repulser respectfully.

They each swung their new swords around two times.

"Are they good or bad?" Celina asked nervously.

The boys looked each other in the eyes and knew they thought the same thing.

"They're real heavy," Kirito replied with smile. "They're both good swords."

"Yay!" Lisbeth cheered.

The solo players turned towards the girls and touched the end of their new blades with their other hands.

"It feels like you two forged your hearts and souls into them," Marth said. "Thank you both so very much."

Both Lisbeth and Celina smiled with joy and watched as the boys put their swords into black scabbards.

"Alright. You've both held up your end of the deal so now Marth and I need to pay up," Kirito said. "So how much?"

"Well, um. We don't really need any money," Lisbeth said while holding her hands.

"Yeah. I actually have something I want to tell you, Marth," Celina said. "In private. But it can wait for now."

The Dark Swordsman gave her a puzzled look.

"And Kirito. Instead of money, I want to be your exclusive blacksmith," Lisbeth told the Black Swordsman.

"What do you mean exclusive?" Kirito asked.

Both Lisbeth and Celina looked really nervous.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked.

"What I mean is that every time you get back from the field, stop by and let me fix up your gear. Every day," Lisbeth explained. "From now till the end."

"Um, Liz…" Kirito struggled to say as a slight blush appeared on his face.

"Kirito, I…" Lisbeth said as she tried reaching for his hand but stopped when the door opened.

"Liz! Celina! We were so worried about you two!" Asuna exclaimed as she and Yuuki ran and hugged their female friends.

"Hey Asuna," Celina said casually. "Hey Yuuki."

"Where were you guys last night? Asuna and I tried messaging you two last night but neither of you responded and we couldn't track you guys on the map," Yuuki asked hastily.

"Sorry. We kind of got stuck in a dungeon," Lisbeth replied.

The swordswomen let go of the blacksmiths. "A dungeon. You two went into a dungeon alone?" the Lightning Flash asked.

Celina shook her head and pointed at the solo players. "No. We went with them," she said.

Asuna and Yuuki turned and saw the two friends they didn't notice when they came in. "K-Kirito!?" Asuna cried out in shock.

"M-Marth?!" Yuuki exclaimed in the same tone.

"Oh, hey, A-Asuna," Kirito said embarrassed. "Long time no see. It's been what… like two days?"

"Uh… hi Yuuki," Marth added, looking slightly nervous at seeing the Absolute Sword.

The blacksmiths realized that Kirito and Marth were the people Asuna and Yuuki were going to meet with two days ago, and Lisbeth was heartbroken from it.

"Talk about a surprise. I didn't know you wanted to check this place out," Asuna told Kirito. "I wish you would have told me. I could've come with you."

"Yeah. I thought we were supposed to be a team, Marth," Yuuki scolded the Dark Swordsman. "You really need to work on your communication skills."

"Sorry," Marth said apologetically as he scratched his head sheepishly.

Both Lisbeth and Celina looked confused.

"I'm kind of lost. Do you guys know each other?" Lisbeth asked.

The Clearers faced the blacksmiths.

"Yeah. We're all on the Assault Team," Kirito replied.

Lisbeth let out a gasp while Celina wasn't that surprised.

"Kirito was saying that he and Marth were looking to get more powerful swords, so I told him about you guys and your shop," Asuna explained.

"As did I with Marth," Yuuki added.

Asuna then noticed the strange looks on her friends' faces and faced the Beaters. "Why are they acting like that? I swear if you two did anything weird to them…"

"Hey, w-we didn't do anything!" Kirito said defensively.

"Then why'd you stutter just now?" Asuna pressed further.

"You know… you could try to show a bit more compassion. Marth and I almost got killed," Kirito retorted.

"Like that's my fault! Don't I always tell you guys not to fight solo?" Asuna argued back.

"If these two said anything rude… you guys would tell me, right?" Yuuki added before noticing the sad look on Lisbeth's face. Both Kirito and Marth then figured out what Lisbeth was going to say before Asuna and Yuuki showed up.

Lisbeth forced a smile. "You want to talk about rude, try this? The first thing Kirito does when he walks in is shatter my best sword," she replied.

"What?! I'm sorry about that," Asuna said quickly.

"Relax. It's not like you need to apologize for anything," Celina replied.

Lisbeth then got close to Asuna. "Kirito might be a little weird, but he's not such a bad guy," she whispered in her friend's ear. "Don't screw this up Asuna. He's a keeper." The pink-haired blacksmith headed for the door, leaving behind a blushing Asuna.

"But I told you it's not like that," The Lightning Flash said quickly. "Liz?"

"Sorry. I got to go pick up some supplies," Lisbeth replied. "You guys can hold down the fort for me until I get back."

Asuna's protests fell on deaf ears as Liz left the store.

Celina then approached Yuuki and whispered, "Marth isn't such a bad guy. I can see why you like him. Good luck, Yuuki."

The Absolute Sword's face went crimson. "I-it's not like that at all!?" Yuuki hastily denied.

Marth and Kirito stared at the door before making eye contact and nodding. They quickly put their new swords in their inventory. Kirito then went after Lisbeth while Marth decided to have that talk with Celina.

Celina took the Dark Swordsman to an area where they can be alone.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Marth asked the blacksmith.

"When I saw that you had the Lunara, I knew that you were special. Your actions yesterday showed me how just how special you were," Celina explained. "I think the reason why the quest to get Lunara disappeared is because the sword chose you as its wielder. When I was forging Light Repulser, I gave it everything I had to make sure it was worthy of you."

Marth gave her a puzzled look. "Worthy of me?"

Celina nodded. "There are many myths in the real world about weapons choosing their wielders. And that wielder has a major role of protecting the world," she continued. "In fact, it even reminds me of a story that I read when I was little. It was about a boy who was chosen by the light itself to stop the darkness. He carried twin swords which represented day and night. He even used them in the final battle against the darkness incarnate, but the outcome is unclear, as is everything else about the hero."

The Dark Swordsman's eyes widened in shock. "Did you just say _twin_ swords? He was a dual-wielder?" Marth questioned.

Celina nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, why?"

Marth closed his eyes and thought for a moment before opening them again. "Yesterday you asked me why Kirito and I were in such a rush to get powerful swords. I'll tell you why, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone else. Not even Asuna and Yuuki," Marth said. "Liz you can probably tell, because I'm pretty sure Kirito is telling her about it right now."

"Alright. I promise that I won't tell anyone your secret," Celina replied. "So what is it?"

The Dark Swordsman explained why he and Kirito needed a powerful sword for each of them to the blacksmith. At first, she didn't believe it, but after he demonstrated it to her, all the doubt disappeared from her mind. Since it was getting late, the duo went back to the shop.

"Hey Marth," Celina said while they walked.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"If you ever need someone to upgrade your weapons, my doors are always open," she explained. "Just promise me that you and Kirito will end this world. Do your best to live up to that ancient hero."

"Alright. I'll give it everything I've got," Marth replied. "I'll beat this game and free us all."

When they arrived back at the shop, they saw Kirito, Lisbeth, Yuuki, and Asuna talking. The girls had their own private conversation, while the boys had their own.

"Everything okay with Liz?" Marth asked.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. And even though she never said it, I think we both know that she developed feelings for me," he replied. "I ended up telling her our secret about why we needed those swords. I'm guessing you did the same with Celina?"

"Yeah, she knows. She even said the reason why she thinks the quest to get Lunara disappeared from the game after I cleared it was because the sword had chosen me," Marth explained. "Sure, it sounds a little crazy but for some reason it makes sense. After all." He drew his sword from its sheath and looked at it. "When I got Lunara, it felt like I was meant to have it. This sword represents the dark night, and I'll make sure that it brings an end to this death game."

Kirito smirked. "Kinda cliché, but I'll buy it. Just don't forget that we're in this together. We'll end this world and return to the real one," he said.

Marth smiled and re-sheathed his sword. The duo said good night to the girls before they went to an inn and spent the night there.


	12. The Sword Dance of Black, Purple, and White

**Chapter 11- The Sword Dance of Black, Purple, and White**

**October 17th, 2024**

Roughly two years have gone by since SAO began. The Assault Team had now reached Floor 74. Both Marth and Kirito were still going it alone fighting solo on the front lines. Right now, they were both in different parts of the Labyrinth on Floor 74.

Marth was fighting a lizard humanoid hybrid called a Lizardman Lord that had a curved sword and a buckler. Marth's Lunara clashed with the monster's sword multiple times. The monster swung its sword at the Beater's neck, but the swordsman easily dodged it. Marth retreated away from the monster, the latter then activated Fell Crescent and went after him. Suddenly, right when the monster got close to Marth, the latter turned around and activated the 4-hit combo Horizontal Square. Marth began by dodging the monster's Sword Skill by moving to the right while striking its side horizontally.

He then turned towards the monster and performed another horizontal slash from right to left on the monster's chest. Marth spun around until he was facing the monster's back and did a third horizontal slash on it. The monster got behind him and tried swinging its sword at Marth's head, but the swordsman ducked out of the way. Marth then spun around and performed the final hit of the Sword Skill, which was a forehand strike across the top part of the monster's chest.

The streaks from Marth's sword drew a square which quickly dispersed as the monster had been killed. The Dark Swordsman panted from the fight despite his HP only being reduced by a quarter of its maximum from the monster's attacks. He swung his sword one more time before sheathing it.

_"I can't believe it's been almost two years since this death game began,"_ Marth thought. _"Fighting solo on the front lines is getting even harder now."_ He looked off into the distance. _"Both Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell are out there somewhere, watching. I wonder what they're thinking about."_ The Dark Swordsman let out a heavy sigh.

"Guess I'll head home," he said aloud and headed for the exit.

Along the way, Marth ran into Kirito again, who was also heading back. They were both now level 96. Since their home was in the same town, the duo decided to go together.

"How've you been Kirito?" Marth asked curiously.

"I've been good. But it's getting a lot harder fighting solo on these Floors," Kirito replied. "What about you?"

"I'm good. And you're right. Ever since we reached Floor 70 the monster attack patterns are becoming even more irregular. Luckily, it's only for Floors 70 and up," Marth said. "We'll have to be even more careful than we already are."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, it looks like we'll soon have to become a permanent party just for our survival," the Black Swordsman said. "We both knew this would happen eventually, but let's wait until things get way too hard for us to handle alone before we do."

"Maybe we can include Yuuki too." Marth noticed the smug grin on Kirito's face. "Okay, what are you grinning about?"

"Nothing," Kirito said innocently, "just that you seem to always have her in mind, if you know what I mean."

"Tch," Marth grunted in frustration. "If that's how you want to play… then I can do it too. I noticed your increased concern for Asuna. Why else would you meet up with her more often than normal?"

The Darkness Duo laughed in amusement. Neither of them minded teaming up permanently, or including Yuuki in their team, they also knew it would mean that they would have to split experience points and money they get from monsters, as well as having to deal with a way to handle who gets what if a rare item dropped. They left the Labyrinth and were now in a forest. Suddenly the duo heard something in the distance. They turned towards the source and activated their Searching, which now maxed out along with a bunch of other skills. They quickly saw that the sound came from a Ragout Rabbit, which is a rare monster.

"No way," Kirito said stunned. "We can't let this opportunity pass up. Who knows when we'll find another one."

Marth nodded as the duo each grabbed a throwing pick. "I'll throw the first one to draw it out," he said. "Once it jumps, you take it out."

Kirito nodded in acknowledgement. Marth's pick started to glow blue as he activated Single Shot. He threw it at a tree near the rabbit, causing it to jump in fear. The monster watched helplessly as Kirito finished it off with Single Shot. Since they weren't in a party, only Kirito got the loot and XP. Neither of them were disappointed about it as that's how they usually did things when they come across certain monsters. The duo then noticed that Kirito had gotten a rare item from the monster and knew just who to take it to.

**Later**

The duo was at Agil's shop in Algade. Kirito had just shown the axe-user the item he just got, which was a Ragout Rabbit Meat.

"No way! This is an S-class rare item!" Agil said in disbelief. "Holy crap, this is the first time I've ever seen one." He looked up at the Black Swordsman. "Hey Kirito. Don't you already have all the money you need? I'll buy it, but I'm saying wouldn't you rather have it for dinner?"

Kirito sighed. "Sure, but who knows when I'll ever get another one," he replied.

"So, keep it man," Agil said.

"But what's the point? In order to prepare an item like this, you need a high enough Cooking skill," Marth explained.

Agil crossed his arms. "Yeah, you're right, Marth. If we tried, we'd just burn it."

"Kirito," a certain female voice said as the person tapped on the swordsman's shoulder.

The duo turned and saw that it was Asuna with some guy whose name was apparently Kuradeel, who was also from her guild. Kirito then remembered that the Lightning Flash had the Cooking skill.

"I've got my chef," Kirito said quickly as grabbed Asuna's hand.

"Uh, what chef?" Asuna asked in confusion.

Kuradeel gave an angry look at the Black Swordsman, prompting the latter let go of the K.O.B. vice-commander.

"Uh hey, Asuna's here. Seeing you in a dump like this is beyond weird," Kirito said nervously. Agil scowled at hearing his friend call his place a dump. Asuna was the same way.

"Oh save it. I came to see if you were still alive," Asuna scolded. "You know, it's almost time for the next boss raid."

Kirito put his right hand on his waist. "I'm on your friend list. If you want to know if I'm alive or not, you can check that," he replied casually.

"Whatever. Now I know you're alive. Same with Marth," Asuna said, letting the brown-haired Beater know that she didn't completely ignore him. "Anyway, what are you doing? What's this about a chef?"

Kirito remembered about the item. "Oh yeah. I was wondering what level your Cooking skill was," he said.

Asuna simply smirked. "Totally maxed it out last week," she said confidently, shocking the Beaters and Agil. "Cool huh?"

"In that case. I need a favor," Kirito said before opening the trade window to show Asuna the item he got.

When Asuna saw what it was, her eyes widened in surprise. "No way. Y-you've got a Ragout Rabbit!" she exclaimed.

"I'll trade ya. All you gotta do is cook it for me and I'll let you have a bite," Kirito said.

Asuna angrily grabbed his shirt. "Half. Deal?" she replied with a threatening tone.

Marth laughed as Kirito nervously accepted Asuna's forceful offer. Asuna then let go of Kirito's shirt.

"Alright!" the Lightning Flash cheered at thought of preparing a rare food item.

The Black Swordsman turned towards Agil. "Sorry pal. You heard the lady. Guess I'm keeping it," he told the axe-user.

"Yeah, but you can at least let me taste it. I thought we were tight, man," Agil begged.

"I'll write a review for you, but only two pages. Promise," Kirito said as he walked out of the store with Asuna and her escort close behind.

"Damn, that is cold," Agil said as he watched them leave.

"Yeah, but that's Kirito for you," Marth replied. "Anyway, I should get going too. I'll see you around, Agil."

"Alright. Take care, Marth."

When he left the store, he saw that Asuna and Kirito were waiting for him, along with the addition of Yuuki.

"Hey, Marth. Glad you could join us," Kirito said when he saw his friend come out.

"What are you guys still doing here? I thought you two went to go cook that Ragout Rabbit Meat," Marth replied in confusion. "And what are you doing here, Yuuki?"

"I was in the area, so I decided to drop by and see if you were here," Yuuki said. "Kirito just told me that you two got a rare cooking ingredient together and Asuna wanted to invite you and me to dinner. She said something about it not being fair if you didn't get a share in the reward. So, will you come?"

Marth sighed and scratched his head. "Since when do you ever give me a choice? Most of the time you just drag me along to where you want to go."

Yuuki giggled. "True, so what's your answer?"

"I'll come. It's not like I had any plans anyway."

"Yay!"

The quartet, and Kuradeel, headed off.

"So where am I going to cook it?" Asuna questioned, causing the group to stop. "I'm guessing not Kirito's place or Marth's. Do either of you even own any cookware?"

"Um," Kirito struggled to say since he didn't think that far ahead.

"I know I don't," Yuuki added.

"Okay," Asuna said, prompting the Beaters to face her. "Because the main ingredient is special, I won't mind if we use my place to cook it."

Kirito looked at Asuna surprised while she turned to face Kuradeel.

"Thank you for escorting me," she told the K.O.B. member. "You may go."

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't allow you to go home with two shady characters," Kuradeel replied.

Asuna sighed. "I don't know the extent of either of their shadiness, but I know they're both extremely skilled." Asuna crossed her arms behind her back. "In fact, they're both ten levels above you, Kuradeel. And you know how skilled Yuuki is too."

"Are you implying that I'm inferior to them?" Kuradeel asked before realizing. "Oh, I get it. Those two are Beaters, aren't they?"

Kirito turned to face the K.O.B. member. "Yeah. So what if we are?" he asked plainly.

Kuradeel approached his commander. "You shouldn't go with them, ma'am," he demanded. "All their kind think about are themselves. They're all scum who wouldn't think twice about abandoning other players."

The Beaters and girls noticed that they were attracting a crowd. They overheard other players recognize them.

"That's Lightning Flash Asuna," one player said. "She's really cute."

"Cool! It's Yuuki, the Absolute Sword!" said another player. "And they're with the Darkness Duo, Marth and Kirito."

Asuna gave her escort a disapproving look. "I'm the second-in-command here. I am ordering you to go home," she said bitterly before storming off while grabbing the back of Kirito and Marth's coats and began dragging them away. Yuuki stuck her tongue out at Kuradeel before following her friends.

"Hey, are you sure about this?" Kirito asked as he was pulled away.

"Of course," Asuna replied angrily.

Marth noticed the frustrated look on Kuradeel's face, which gave him the feeling that this wasn't over. It wasn't until they got to the Warp Gate that Asuna let go of the Darkness Duo. The quartet then used the Warp Gate to teleport to Selmburg on Floor 61, where Asuna was living. The group then headed for Asuna's house. It was getting late and Kirito noticed that there wasn't a lot of people here despite it being a really nice-looking town.

"There's hardly anyone around," Kirito said in awe. "It's kind of liberating."

"Then why don't you move here?" Asuna asked.

"I don't know, this place is way too expensive for my taste," Kirito said.

Marth nodded. "Yeah. Besides I kind of like my home on Algade," he said causing Yuuki to giggle.

"Seriously? That town looks way too shady. How could anyone live there?" Yuuki said, having seen his place before.

"Anyway. Asuna, what was with that guy back there?" Kirito asked curiously. "He was pretty adamant on letting me and Marth come with you."

"He's my bodyguard. The guild's new policy is that all higher-ups have to have an escort," Asuna explained. "It's really lame. The guild didn't have all these rules before. We used to be very small, but then more and more people joined up. It was only when we became the strongest guild that things started to get weird." She turned to face her friends as a clock bell rang. "Forget it. I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing."

"We should get going," Yuuki said. "It's getting dark." The others nodded and continued walking.

The group arrived at Asuna's house and the Beaters were surprised at how nice it looked inside.

"Wow. You've got a killer pad," Kirito said in awe. "How much did all this cost?"

Asuna thought for a moment. "The room and the furniture cost around four million Col. Anyway, make yourselves at home." The Lighting Flash and Absolute Sword went to the former's bedroom to change into regular clothes. Kirito sat on one of the chairs in the living room.

"Four million Col. That's a lot of money," the Black Swordsman said in disbelief. "I know I probably earned that much too, but using it all on your home?"

Marth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If it was me, improving my pad would've been the last thing on my mind," he said as he sat down on another chair.

The duo then heard Asuna and Yuuki come back and saw that they were wearing ordinary clothes. Both boys blushed a little at seeing how they looked.

"Are you two going to take off your coats or what?" Asuna asked the Beaters.

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Kirito said quickly as he realized he still had it on.

The boys unequipped their coats, swords, and gloves. The girls laughed as they saw that the duo had the same long-sleeved black shirt.

"Do you guys try to match, or does it just happen?" Asuna teased, causing the Beaters to blush in embarrassment.

"Not cool, Asuna," Kirito replied as he traded the Ragout Rabbit Meat to the K.O.B. vice-commander.

"Well I find it kinda cute," Yuuki admitted. "If it wasn't for your hair colors, you guys could easily pass off for brothers."

Marth cracked a light smile. "You're not the first to say that."

The group then headed into the kitchen where Asuna brought the item out.

"Okay. So how do you want this cooked?" the Lightning Flash asked the black-haired swordsman.

"I wanted to leave that decision up to the chef," Kirito answered.

"Okay. Then how about we make it into a stew?" Asuna offered before she brought out more ingredients and a cooking knife. "Ragout is pretty much the definition of a stew." She did a cutting motion over the items which caused them to be instantly cut into smaller pieces. Kirito watched in awe as Asuna put the ingredients into a pot. "There would be a lot more steps if this was in real life." She put a lid on the pot before putting it in the oven and set the timer. "SAO makes cooking so simple… so much so that it's actually kind of boring." She then began making a couple of side dishes with help from Yuuki, who surprisingly had a high cooking skill as well, while the stew was cooking. Once it was finished, Asuna took it out of the oven and took it to the table. The Beaters helped the cooks by taking the other food to the table. Everyone could smell the delicious aroma from the stew. Kirito gulped as Asuna removed the lid from the pot.

**Later**

Marth and Kirito sat on one end of the table, while Asuna and Yuuki sat on the other. They had just finished powering through the stew and eating the other dishes. They all let out a sigh.

"I've been here two years, but this is my first time eating S-class food," Asuna said. "I'm so glad I survived long enough to eat that."

"Yeah, me too," Kirito replied.

"It's kind of weird. Sometimes, I get this feeling like I've lived here in Aincrad my whole life," Yuuki said. "It makes me feel like the real world is just a dream."

The others nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean," Marth said. "There are times when I don't think about the real world at all."

"Yeah, it's the same with me," Kirito said. "And it's not just us. More and more people are becoming less motivated to clear game as the days go by."

"I noticed that there only about 500 players fighting on the front lines now," Asuna replied. "I guess everyone's getting used to life here. They don't care about getting back anymore."

The Beaters lowered their heads in sadness. "The thing is… I want to go back," the Lightning Flash said suddenly, prompting the boys to look up at her. "There's still things I haven't done there yet. I have to go back."

"So do I," Yuuki added. "I've got family in the real world. They're counting on me to go back."

Kirito nodded. "And we can't forget about all the players in the Town of Beginnings," the Black Swordsman said. "They're counting on us to beat this game. If we quit now it won't be fair for them." He took a sip of tea.

Asuna held out an open palm towards Kirito. "Don't go there," she said.

The Beater looked at her in confusion. "Uh, don't go where?" he asked nervously.

"I've seen that look on guys' faces before. And right before they propose to me," Asuna answered.

Marth and Yuuki laughed as Kirito blushed in embarrassment. Asuna laughed a little too, indicating that she was kidding.

"Honestly, you should see your face, Kirito. I'm guessing you never had a girlfriend before," Asuna said smugly.

Kirito quickly recovered and shrugged. "Whatever. I'm a solo player," he said plainly.

"Ditto," Marth followed.

The Lightning Flash put on a serious face. "And you're both okay with that? You guys don't ever want to join a guild?" she asked curiously.

The solo players looked at Asuna, puzzled.

"I know that the beta testers don't fit in well with the guilds, but ever since we reached Floor 70, things have been getting even more dangerous," Asuna explained. "The monsters attack patterns are becoming even more irregular. There are times where warping out isn't an option. Being a solo player has its limits and you two are getting dangerously close to it. So are you, Yuuki."

Marth let out a sigh. "Yeah, me and Kirito talked about that when we were heading back to Algade earlier today," the Dark Swordsman said. "But we're both pretty careful. And if we do reach that limit, then we'll team up just like we did in the beta."

"Can I join if you do?" Yuuki asked.

Kirito nodded. "Sure. Besides most of the time, instead of helping, party members just get in the way," he followed.

"Oh yeah?" Asuna asked she held a butter knife in front of Kirito in a threatening manner.

Kirito quickly raised a hand in defense. "My mistake. You three are exceptions," he said nervously.

Asuna retracted her knife. "Good," she replied.

"So, how about the four of us team up again?" Asuna asked suddenly as she spun her knife in her hand, catching the Darkness Duo by surprise. "Black's my lucky color this week anyway."

"But don't you have stuff to do with your guild?" Marth hastily asked the fencer. "Are you seriously just gonna bail on them or something?"

"It's not like we have any leveling quotas we need to meet anyway," Asuna said plainly.

"But what about your bodyguard?" Kirito questioned.

"I'll just ditch him," the fencer replied.

The two were caught off guard by the vice-commander's remark. Asuna sent the "Invite to Party" to the solo players. Yuuki eagerly accepted since it meant she'd be fighting alongside Marth again.

Kirito took a sip from his tea and said, "The front lines are dangerous though." Asuna then activated a Sword Skill with her butter knife and threatened to stab the black-haired Beater's forehead.

Kirito raised a hand in defeat. "Okay. You win," he said before hitting the Accept button. Marth followed suit, not wanting to be a target for the fencer's "persuasion". Asuna smiled in victory as she put her knife down.

It was getting late so the boys and Yuuki decided to head back to their homes. They all walked outside Asuna's house and stood on the porch.

"I guess I should thank you for the meal," Asuna said. "So thank you, Kirito."

"I should be thanking you. Maybe we can do this again sometime," the black-haired Beater replied before shaking his head. "Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way I'll ever find something like that again."

Asuna shook her head. "No way. You can make anything taste good if you've got the skills to cook," she said before they all looked up at the stars.

"When I look at this world and seen what it's become, I can't help but wonder if this what Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell wanted to create," Kirito said after a few moments.

Marth nodded. "Yeah, me too."

The Beaters and Yuuki said goodbye to Asuna and headed for the Warp Gate. When they were leaving, Marth thought he detected someone hiding in the bushes near Asuna's house but passed it off as exhaustion.

**The Next Day**

Marth, Kirito and Yuuki were waiting for Asuna at the plaza in Kamdet on Floor 74. Their backs were facing the Warp Gate.

"Where is she already?" Yuuki asked impatiently.

Marth chuckled. "Relax. I'm sure Asuna just got delayed is all."

As if on cue, the Warp Gate glowed a light blue and revealed Asuna, but she was moving forward while also falling towards the trio.

"Look out!" the fencer exclaimed as she fell on top of Kirito.

"Are you two alright?" Marth asked in worry.

"Yeah. We're fine," Kirito said before he realized the position he was in.

Unfortunately, so did Asuna. She quickly pushed him into a stone pillar and had a slight blush on her face. Marth went over to his friend to help him up.

"Uh, good morning, Asuna," Kirito said nervously.

The Warp Gate started to glow again, prompting Asuna to hide behind Kirito. The light faded and revealed that it was Kuradeel. The K.O.B. member eyed his superior with a stern look.

"Why are you acting like this, ma'am? I'm only following orders," Kuradeel asked. "Please… let's go back to headquarters."

"I won't! Especially not with someone like you!" Asuna protested. "And why were you lurking around my house earlier this morning?" Her party members gasped in shock.

"You have a bad habit of leaving and not telling anyone. So, for the past month part of my mission is to keep an eye on you in Selmburg," Kuradeel explained.

"What? Who ordered this?! There's no way either of the commanders did," Asuna demanded.

"With all due respect, ma'am, my mission is to guard you wherever you are. That includes your own home," Kuradeel replied.

"No it doesn't you idiot?!" Asuna exclaimed in outrage.

Marth glared at the vice-commander's bodyguard. "So you're the person I detected at Asuna's place last night," the Dark Swordsman said catching everyone off guard, including Kuradeel. "I didn't say anything because I thought it was just me being tired, but it wasn't. You're taking your job way too far."

"You wouldn't understand, you pathetic little Beater," Kuradeel angrily remarked as he walked towards Asuna. "Now then, commander, let's return to headquarters." Asuna tried to run away, but Kuradeel grabbed her by the wrist and started to drag her to the Warp Gate.

Kirito had enough and stopped them by grabbing Kuradeel's wrist, prompting the K.O.B. member to face him. "Sorry. But we'll be borrowing your vice-commander for the day. You'll have to return without her," Kirito said as Kuradeel forced his hand away. "We can take care of her security. You don't have to worry. It's not like we're going on a boss raid or anything."

That only made Kuradeel even angrier. "You insolent punk! Don't you know who I am? I'm part of the glorious Knights of the Blood Oath," he said angrily. "There's no way two low level players like you can protect her!"

Marth gritted his teeth in anger. "We can do a better job than you. Especially since unlike you, Asuna actually has some personal space with us," he replied. "Not to mention that Yuuki will be with us too."

"You little punks. Let's see if you two can back it up," Kuradeel said venomously as he sent a Duel challenge to Kirito. He then pointed angrily at Marth. "Once I beat your friend, you're next."

"You'll have to beat me first to do that," Kirito said before facing the fencer. "Should I accept?"

Asuna nodded. "Yes. I'll explain what happened to the commanders after the duel is over," she answered.

Kirito then hit the "Okay" button and selected the "First Strike" option, which would end the duel when the first player lands a critical hit on the other, or when one of the opponents' HP is reduced by half its maximum. The duelists drew their swords as the timer to start the duel began. The commotion they made had attracted a crowd. Kuradeel gritted his teeth in anger when one of the players recognized Kirito and said that the fight would be good.

"Please move to a safe distance, ma'am. I'm going to prove that I am the only one that can protect you," Kuradeel told his vice-commander.

Asuna, Yuuki, and Marth stepped back to give their party member some space. The dueling players then got into fighting positions. Before time was up, Kirito examined his opponent's weapon and knew just where to strike. The timer then went off, signaling the start of the duel, Kuradeel activated Avalanche while Kirito activated Sonic Leap. They charged at each other and circled each other. Right when Kuradeel's back was facing Asuna, his face adopted a deranged look. He was aiming for Kirito's side, but the latter quickly intercepted by striking the former's sword at its base with Elucidator. They parted away from each other and blade on Kuradeel's sword broke off.

"No way? Impossible?" Kuradeel said in disbelief as his sword shattered into polygons. He promptly fell to his knees.

Kirito sheathed Elucidator and faced his challenger. "If you want to try with another weapon, I'll gladly take you on. You could also challenge Marth, but fair warning, his skills are on par with mine, so you'll probably be defeated the same way," he told Kuradeel. "Or we could just call it a day."

Refusing to accept defeat, Kuradeel materialized a dagger and charged at the Beater. Kirito prepared to draw his sword but was stopped when Asuna sent Kuradeel's dagger flying with her rapier. Everyone was surprised.

"A-Asuna?" Kuradeel said in shock before recovering and angrily pointing at Kirito. "I don't know how but he cheated. You saw him destroy my sword. That had to be some kind of trick. There's no other way I could've lost to a pathetic Beater like him."

However, Asuna thought differently. "Kuradeel. As second-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath, I am relieving you of your duty as my bodyguard," she replied. "You are to return to headquarters and wait for further orders."

"W-what? You can't be serious?" Kuradeel said before glaring angrily at Kirito. The K.O.B. member then sighed in defeat before reluctantly walking to the Warp Gate and activated it by saying, "Teleport, Granzam."

With Kuradeel leaving the area, the system deemed Kirito as the winner. Somewhere among the crowd Marth sensed a dark presence, one he hasn't felt since _that_ day a few months ago. He quickly scanned through the crowd and his eyes widened in fear when he thought he saw a man in a black cloak walking away. He then felt someone nudge his shoulder, prompting him to turn and see that it was Yuuki.

"Hey, are you alright?" the Absolute Sword asked in concern.

Marth looked back at the crowd and saw that the man was gone. "Yeah. Thought I saw something," he replied, feeling himself calm down. "But it's gone now."

Asuna looked ready to collapse, but luckily Kirito caught her. "I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this," she said apologetically. "Lately the guild's been bugging me, and you guys got caught in my problems."

The trio shook their heads.

"No worries," Yuuki chided with a light smile. "Besides, we got to see Kirito put that creep in his place."

"Are you going to be okay?" Kirito asked the Lighting Flash in concern.

"I think so. I've just been so focused on clearing the game that I probably demanded too much from the other members," Asuna replied.

Kirito lowered his head. "I get it, but Asuna, if you did things any differently, do you think your guild would've gotten as far as they have?" he said causing the vice-commander to face him. "I mean, what would I know about guilds? I'm just a solo player. But the way I see it, if you take a day off to team up with a loser like me, that's your decision. No one has the right to complain about it."

Asuna smiled and sheathed her rapier. "Wow, thanks for your opinion. Alright. I'll be taking your advice about taking the day off from the guild," she said before patting Kirito's shoulder and walking towards the gate leading out of the city. "You guys can play forward today."

The solo players looked at the Lightning Flash in disbelief.

"Hey wait! Aren't we all supposed to take turns playing forward?" Marth asked quickly as they followed Asuna.

"Sorry, it's my day off," Asuna replied casually.

"You've got to be kidding!" Kirito, Marth and Yuuki exclaimed in protest.

**Later**

The quartet were in the Labyrinth fighting a skeletal monster that had a sword and shield. Asuna was on the offense while the Beaters hung back and waited to be called on. The monster activated the four-hit combo Vertical Square, but Asuna easily dodged it. She then activated the 8-hit combo Star Splash. She began by with three short thrusts on the monster's chest. She followed up with two slashes on the monster's legs, then with two strong jabs high and low before finishing the combo with a strong stab on the monster's chest.

The solo players watched in awe. "Having someone around who knows how to fight sure makes things a lot easier," Kirito said.

"You think?" Marth asked sarcastically.

"Switch with me Kirito!" Asuna said as she activated a Sword Skill to cancel the enemy's.

"Alright," the Black Swordsman replied before he charged toward the skeletal monster. He activated the 4-hit combo Vertical Square and barely dodged the monster's counter attack in time. Marth then moved in and attacked the monster with Vorpal Strike. Yuuki then finished it off with her own Vorpal Strike. The quartet explored the Labyrinth, so they could map it for the Assault Team to use for the raid. They were walking down a long hallway until they came across a large double stone door.

"Is that what I think it is?" Asuna asked her teammates.

Marth nodded. "Yeah. We've found the boss room for this Floor," he answered before he faced his party members. "Should we take a look inside?"

Kirito nodded in agreement. "It couldn't hurt to have a peek. Besides, Floor Bosses don't leave the rooms they guard. But we should each have a Teleport Crystal out just in case," he replied.

The group each brought out a Teleport Crystal with their left hands.

"Everyone ready?" Marth asked his party.

"You bet," Yuuki said.

They all drew their weapons and opened the boss room doors and walked inside. After a few moments the torches in the room ignited with a blue flame. The players looked in shock at a huge red-eyed blue demonic monster that had a purple cobra as a tail and had a huge one-edged sword in its right hand. It was quickly identified as "The Gleam Eyes" and had four HP bars.

**To be continued**


	13. Blue-Eyed Demon

**Chapter 12- The Blue-Eyed Demon**

With their crystals in hand, the group entered the Floor 74 boss room. The room was dark and seemingly empty.

"That's strange. There's no one here," Kirito said. He walked a little bit further into the room.

"Wait, Kirito. It's too risky," Marth warned.

The black-haired Beater stopped walking and faced his friend. "Don't worry. I'm not going in that far," Kirito replied. "And besides, we should learn whatever we can about the boss here, otherwise we'll never defeat it."

"Yeah, but still…" Asuna started to say.

Suddenly the torches in the room lit up with blue flames. The group saw that staring at them was a huge blue-skinned demonic monster with a purple cobra as a tail and a one-edged sword that fit its size. It was identified as The Gleam Eyes and had four HP bars. The Clearers looked in shock as it lifted its sword ready to attack. The monster's eyes glowed with a bright blue light as it let out a mighty roar. The players promptly ran out of the room screaming, not wanting to fight the boss.

**Later**

The quartet were resting at a Safe Zone inside the Labyrinth. They were sitting with their backs against a stone pillar while struggling to catch their breath.

"That one's going to be tough to beat," Yuuki said in exhaustion.

"Yeah. It has that big sword, but I bet that it also has a couple special attacks too," Kirito agreed.

"We'll have to put tanks in the front and keep switching just to wear it down," Asuna said.

"It'd be a good idea to have about ten shield-users, too," Marth replied.

"Yeah. I agree," Kirito added.

The Lightning Flash narrowed her eyes on the solo players. "Shield-users, huh?" she said.

The Beaters looked at her curiously. "What's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"You two. You're both hiding something aren't you?" Asuna said.

"Uh…what are you talking about?" Marth asked hesitantly.

"I just remembered something. The biggest advantage of using a one-handed sword is that you can also use a shield," Asuna explained. "But I don't think I've ever seen either of you use one before. I can't use a shield because it would slow down my rapier. Others don't because they think it looks dumb." The solo players crossed their arms and looked away. "And why aren't you two using the swords you commissioned from Liz and Celina? That's pretty suspicious."

Yuuki's eyes widened in realization. "Now that you mention it… that is strange. So why aren't you guys using them?"

The Beaters had panicked looks on their faces as they struggled to come up with a counter.

"Oh, never mind. It's rude to force people to explain their reasons for privacy," Asuna said, much to the boys' relief. She then brought out a picnic basket. "Since it's so late, we'll have lunch right here."

Kirito quickly perked up and faced Asuna. "R-really? Did you make it yourself?" the Black Swordsman asked eagerly.

Asuna nodded. "What do you think? You guys might want to take off your gloves, so you can eat," she said.

"Oh, right," Kirito replied as he and Marth unequipped their gloves.

The Lightning Flash then handed her party members their sandwiches. Kirito took a bite and commented on how good it was before eating more rapidly.

Marth laughed at his friend's quick eating. "Careful, Kirito. If you eat too fast, you'll choke," he remarked. "It'd be embarrassing if one of the strongest solo players in SAO died from choking on virtual food."

The other party members laughed as Kirito's face turned beet red. The Black Swordsman then chose to eat more slowly to prevent his best friend from getting any more ammunition to tease him with.

"How'd you get this to taste so good, Asuna?" Marth said after he took a couple bites.

The K.O.B. vice-commander showed her party all the recipes she learned/created. "It took an entire year of training and study," she explained. "Aincrad has pretty much everything you need. It has about a hundred different seasonings and I made everything by using the parameters from the Flavor Recreation System." She brought a vial with a green liquid for the duo to try, who found out that it tasted like mayonnaise. She then brought out another vial that had a purple liquid. The duo tasted it and realized that it was none other than…

"Soy sauce?!" Kirito exclaimed.

"Man, Asuna. I've said it once, but I'll say it again… You really should try selling these to other players," Yuuki suggested. "You'd make a fortune since they taste just like the stuff back in the real world."

Asuna slightly blushed. "Thanks for the tip," she replied. "It's nice to hear someone praise me for what I do. I even used the soy sauce in the sandwiches."

Kirito crossed his arms. "Yeah, but if you sell it there won't be anything left for me," he pouted.

His party members sighed in contempt. "Talk about greedy. Is Kirito always like this?" Asuna asked the Dark Swordsman.

Marth cracked a mischievous grin. "Only when it's something he really likes. He's kind of an oddball because of it," Marth teased. "Besides, you can always just make more of it."

"Hey!" Kirito protested as he lightly punched Marth's shoulder, prompting his friends to laugh.

"Sorry Kirito, but you make it way too easy to mess with you," the Dark Swordsman said.

The party was interrupted when they heard other players enter the Safe Zone. They stood up in response and saw that it was Klein and his guild. They looked pretty tired, no doubt from fighting a bunch of monsters along the way.

"Let's take a break here guys. I'm telling ya, all this grinding is killing me," Klein told his guild.

Klein was wearing a new red robe and black armor that resembled what a samurai would wear. He also had a new katana.

The samurai lifted his head and saw that his guild weren't the only ones in the Safe Zone. "What's up, Kirito? You too, Marth!" Klein greeted his friends.

"Hey Klein. So you're still alive, huh," Kirito said nonchalantly.

Klein walked over to his solo friends. "Geez. You're the same as ever," the samurai replied. "It's good to see you guys again."

Marth nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while since we last met," the Dark Swordsman said. "I'm glad to see how far you've come since we first met on the first day of SAO."

Klein smiled with pride. "Yeah well if you and Kirito didn't teach me the basics, I never would've have survived this long," he said before noticing Asuna and Yuuki. Needless to say, the samurai was shocked to see them. "Hold on, you guys are solo players. What the hell are you two doing with Asuna and Yuuki?"

Asuna laughed. "You see, the reason why we're all together is because we're sort of in a party," she explained.

"Huh?" the Fuurinkazan members said in surprise.

"Kirito. You sneaky little…" Klein started to say.

Kirito quickly raised his hands in defense. "Wait. It's not what you think."

They were interrupted when they heard more people enter the Safe Zone. The turned and saw a group of players in dark grey armor with green capes, except one of them had a red cloak above his green one which indicated that he was in a leadership position.

"What the heck? It's the Aincrad Liberation Army," Klein said in confusion.

"Aren't they the guild that runs Floor 1?" Yuuki asked.

"Yes. They were the head clearing guild until they were almost slaughtered during the Floor 25 boss raid. Instead of clearing Floors, they've been trying to increase their numbers instead," Asuna explained. "I haven't seen them on the front lines in a long time."

The Army entered the Safe Zone and the leader of the group faced his men. "At ease," he told them. The group promptly collapsed from exhaustion. It was obvious that they were struggling to get through the dungeon. The leader approached the other players. "I'm Lieutenant-Coronal Corvatz of the Aincrad Liberation Army."

"I'm Kirito. Solo," the Black Swordsman said plainly.

"Yeah, sure you are. Have you cleared the area up ahead?" Corvatz asked.

Marth nodded. "We did. We also got a map that leads straight to the boss room," the Dark Swordsman said.

Corvatz extended his hand. "Alright. Hand over that map and my men and I will be on our way," he said, shocking the players.

"You want us to just give it you for free? Just like that?" Klein asked furiously. "Do you even know how much of a pain in the ass mapping a dungeon is?"

"Yeah!" Yuuki added.

"The Army shares our information and resources with civilian players all the time, and we don't charge them anything for it," Corvatz angrily explained. "We maintain order and fight so that all players can leave this world as quickly as possible. That means it's your duty to help us. Now hand over that map!"

"Listen you…" Asuna started to say.

Klein reached for his katana. "You bastard," the samurai said before Kirito put his arm in front of the samurai to stop him.

"Calm down. When we were going to return to town, I was planning to go public with the map anyway," Kirito interrupted before opening up his menu. "It's cool."

"I'm all for helping out other players, but I draw the line when said players demand that we do so," Marth replied. "You're being way too nice to this guy, Kirito."

"Maybe. But I don't really care about making money off of map data," Kirito said as he sent Corvatz a copy of his map.

"Thanks for cooperating," Corvatz said before turning towards his men.

"By the way. If you're planning to fight the boss, I wouldn't recommend it," Kirito warned.

"That is my decision to make," Corvatz retorted.

Marth gritted his teeth. "Look, my party and I just took a look in there," he explained. "There's no way you can beat that thing if your troops are half dead. Can't you see that they're exhausted? Having them fight the boss in their current state would be suicide."

"You're wrong! My men are tougher than that. They won't quit until I say so," Corvatz replied angrily before facing his group. "On your feet, now!" The Army members got back up, but they struggled to do so. Corvatz led his men straight to the boss room.

"Man. Are those guys going to be okay?" Klein asked in concern.

"I'm sure they know what they're doing. They're not stupid enough to rush the boss without getting a look, right?" Asuna said hopefully.

"Maybe we should follow them, just in case," Kirito suggested. The smiles on everyone's faces indicated that they agreed with him.

The now very big group started to head out with Marth and Kirito in the lead. Klein had Asuna and Yuuki in the back with him because he wanted to tell them something.

"Hey Asuna, Yuuki. I've got a favor to ask," the samurai said while rubbing his head. "Kirito and Marth are both loners, hard to talk to, and have an addiction to combat, but they're good guys. Can you guys look after them for me?"

Asuna looked and saw the solo players chatting with each other before facing the samurai. "Okay. I promise that I'll make sure Kirito stays safe," she said with a smile.

"And I'll look after Marth," Yuuki promised. "He's in good hands."

After a while of exploring, the group were close to the boss room. Klein had just finished killing a Lizardman monster.

"That's the last one. The only thing left is the boss room. Do you think they used a Teleport Crystal to go back?" Klein asked.

Suddenly they heard a loud scream at the end of the hallway.

Kirito faced his party members. "We have to hurry," he said before they ran towards the boss room.

"Hey, wait up!" Klein exclaimed while trying to follow but was stopped when the monsters respawned.

As the party was running, they heard another scream.

"Idiots," Yuuki angrily remarked.

They quickly arrived at the boss room entrance and saw that the door was open.

"Hey! Are you guys okay? What happened?" Kirito asked in worry as they got close enough to see inside.

The quartet gasped as they saw that Gleam Eyes was between the Army and the exit and most of the players were on their knees. The boss had three HP bars left with the third being barely depleted. It swung its sword and knocked most of the Army players off their feet with a shockwave.

"Don't just stand there! Use your Teleport Crystals!" Yuuki shouted in desperation.

"We've tried b-but the crystals aren't working," one of the soldiers replied, shocking the party.

"It can't be. An «Anti-Crystal Zone»," Marth said in shock.

"No way. This is the first time I've heard of one inside a boss room," Asuna added.

The Beaters thought back to the trap room that had killed most of the Moonlit Black Cats.

"The Aincrad Liberation Army never retreats. Keep fighting men," Corvatz said stubbornly, despite how hopeless the situation was.

Klein and his guild finally managed to catch up with the others.

"Hey, what's going on?" the samurai asked.

"They can't use their Teleport Crystals while they're in there. We could try to distract the boss, but it's too risky to go in there," Kirito briefed to the red-head.

Klein looked inside the boss room in disbelief. "No way. But there has to be something we can do."

Kirito gritted his teeth as he thought about the deaths of his former guildmates.

"Attack!" Corvatz ordered. His men obeyed and charged at the boss.

"No! Don't do it!" Kirito shouted in desperation.

Gleam Eyes easily stopped the Army by unleashing a purple breath attack. The boss then attacked the Army with a Sword Skill and slashed at Corvatz, which knocked him towards the entrance of the boss room. He landed flat on his back, right in front of the group.

"Hang in there, Corvatz. Please," Marth said desperately as he knelt beside the fallen commander. Much to the Beater's shock, Corvatz's helmet broke as his HP hit zero.

"It can't be," Corvatz said with tears in his eyes before he shattered into polygons.

Grief filled all of the players as they had witnessed yet another player death.

"No," Asuna said with her hand over her mouth, her voice cracked from grief.

One of the Army members screamed in fear as Gleam Eyes raised its sword to finish him off.

Both Asuna and Yuuki hesitantly reached for their swords. "I-I can't. But…" the Lightning Flash struggled to say, catching her male party members' attention.

That same person let out another scream which was the last the girls could bear.

"No!" Asuna and Yuuki shouted as they drew their swords and charged at the boss.

"Asuna!" Kirito yelled in worry before running after the Lightning Flash.

"Yuuki!" Marth exclaimed as he went after the Absolute Sword.

Klein gritted his teeth. "Oh, what the hell?!" the samurai shouted before he followed suit.

Yuuki was the first to reach the boss and activated «Horizontal Square», striking the boss's back. She then moved to the side to allow the Lightning Flash to attack. Asuna's rapier glowed green as she activated a Sword Skill and struck the boss's back as well. Gleam Eyes turned around and swung its sword at the fencer, which she barely managed to block with her rapier, before it followed it up with a punch. Asuna was promptly knocked to the ground and struggled to get up. Gleam Eyes swung its sword in a downward slash towards the Lightning Flash, but Kirito came to her rescue by reversing his grip on Elucidator and struck the side of the huge blade, which caused the attack to miss.

"Hurry and get back!" Kirito exclaimed to his teammate.

The K.O.B. vice-commander obeyed and got back on her feet and jumped to a safe distance. Marth, on the other hand, went to help the Black Swordsman, who returned to holding his sword like normal. Meanwhile Yuuki, Klein and the other Fuurinkazan were busy trying to get the badly injured Army members to safety.

"Don't worry. We'll get you guys out of here," Klein told the soldiers he was helping.

"Thank you," said one of the soldiers.

Gleam Eyes prepared to unleash another breath attack on the helpless players, but Marth and Kirito stopped it by slashing the boss's back with their swords. The duo gritted their teeth as their attacks barely made a dent in the boss's HP. The boss then turned and faced the Darkness Duo. The Beaters were able to land a couple blows on Gleam Eyes but were unable to avoid its attacks as well.

"This isn't good," Marth said.

"Yeah, we'll never win unless we try something else," Kirito agreed.

Gleam Eyes preformed a downward slash on the duo, which they blocked together with their swords but were struggling to push it back. Both of their HP were dropping due to the force from the impact.

"Get out of there!?" Asuna exclaimed in worry.

"Marth!?" Yuuki shouted.

"Marth!? Kirito!?" Klein shouted in the same tone.

The two solo players were able to push the sword back and jumped sideways in separate directions to avoid Gleam Eyes' next attack.

_"It looks like the only way to end this is if we use it,"_ Marth thought. _"But then…"_ The Darkness Duo looked at Klein and their other party members and saw the worried looks on their faces.

Both Kirito and Marth closed their eyes and debated on what to do. Suddenly Sachi appeared in Kirito's thoughts while Yuuki appeared in Marth's. They both gasped in shock and quickly opened their eyes. Gleam Eyes gripped its sword with both hands and thrusted it at the Black Swordsman, which the swordsman was barely able to block in time. Marth, on the other hand, had managed to jump out of the way when the snake tail tried getting a bite out of him. The duo locked eyes with each other and knew what to do.

_"That's it. We've got no choice,"_ Kirito thought.

"Hey Klein. Asuna. Yuuki. Marth and I need about ten seconds, keep this thing off us," the Black Swordsman ordered before he jumped back to avoid another attack.

"All right. We'll do our best," Klein said before he and the swordswomen charged at the boss.

The male solo players knelt shoulder to shoulder as they quickly scrolled through their skill menus to equip a certain weapon. Klein let out a battle cry as he ran towards Gleam Eyes, who knocked the samurai back after two attacks, even though Klein had blocked both of them. Gleam Eyes tried to attack Yuuki, but she was too fast for it and rolled to the side, unfortunately it prevented her from getting closer to the boss to attack.

"Okay! We're all set!" Marth exclaimed as the duo activated the skill they were looking for and got back on their feet.

The Lightning Flash then used a Sword Skill which succeeded in pushing back the boss's sword.

"Asuna, switch out!" Kirito exclaimed as he and Marth charged at the boss.

The K.O.B. vice-commander moved to the side and allowed her party members to pass. Blue light appeared behind the Darkness Duo as they reached for Dark Repulser/Light Repulser that materialized in black scabbards behind their left shoulders. They quickly drew their secondary swords and attacked the boss with them, pushing Gleam Eyes back, much to everyone's shock. Gleam Eyes then swung its sword downward but the newly revealed dual-wielders blocked it by doing a cross-block with their swords. They then quickly pushed the attack back.

"Well. It's now or never," Marth said getting a nod in response from his fellow Beater.

"«Starburst Stream»!" The dual-wielders exclaimed in sync as they activated the high-level «Dual Wielding» 21-hit Sword Skill.

The Skill began with a horizontal slash to the right with the right sword and struck the boss's chest, followed up with an uppercut with the left sword plus a full circle spin. Next was a horizontal slash to the right with both swords and another full spin. They repeated it the movement again but instead of a spin the duo did a downward X-slash and followed it up with upward X-slash, using both their swords for each one, all striking the same spot.

"Wh-what kinda skill is that?!" Yuuki stuttered, but both Klein and Asuna were too shocked to reply.

Gleam Eyes managed to punch both Kirito and Marth in the face, but they kept going.

"Faster," Kirito said before they continued the combo.

They did two opposite-directional diagonal slashes, the left sword went down-left while the right one went up-right. They reversed their grip on their swords and did a downward X-slash with both swords. They followed it up with a corkscrew attack before shifting their swords in a forward grip. They did a downward X-slash and an upward X-slash next. Gleam Eyes was able to hit them again, but they kept attacking.

"Even faster," Marth said.

The Darkness Duo did many more slashes while Gleam Eyes did the same. The boss was somehow able to grab Kirito's Elucidator with its hand and Marth's Lunara with its tail respectfully, which prevented the twentieth hit, which would have been a thrust with the right sword. Klein, Yuuki and Asuna looked in horror as it seemed like it was all over for the Beaters. Luckily, «Starburst Stream» still had one more hit, which was a forward lunge with the left sword. The solo players screamed as they performed the final attack. Gleam Eyes did a horizontal slash in an attempt to finish off both players, but the Darkness Duo was faster. After the attacks landed, a few moments passed before Gleam Eyes shattered into polygons, showing that it was defeated.

"Is it… over?" Kirito asked in exhaustion.

"I… think so," Marth replied tiredly.

They lowered their swords and saw that they both only had a sliver of HP left. The Darkness Duo promptly fell backward and passed out from the difficult fight.

"Kirito! Wake up, please!" a female voice begged.

"Wake up, Marth!" another voice said.

The Darkness Duo barely managed to open their eyes and saw the sources were Asuna and Yuuki, who had tears in their eyes and kneeling in front of the respective teens. They promptly sat up and saw that the room had normal lighting before they held their heads.

"Ow. I've got a killer headache," Marth said.

"Ditto," Kirito replied, as they put their hands on the ground to support themselves. "That was way too close for comfort. How long were we out for anyway?"

Asuna wiped her tears away. "Only a couple seconds. You two are so reckless," she said before hugging Kirito tightly.

"Hey, don't hug me so tight. If you do, I'll lose the last of my HP," Kirito warned tiredly.

Yuuki then pulled Marth into a tight hug. "You scared the life out of me. Don't do that again, please."

Marth wrapped an arm around the Absolute Sword. "I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again." The Dark Swordsman looked up at Klein. "What were our casualties?"

Klein's eyes were filled with sorrow. "Corvatz and two of his men were killed," he replied.

Grief overtook the Darkness Duo. "We haven't lost a player during a boss fight since Floor 67," Kirito said.

"This wasn't a boss fight, this was suicide. Corvatz was an idiot to think that he could defeat a Floor Boss with a group of half-dead players," Klein said angrily before shaking his head to calm down. "Don't think I forgot about you two. What the hell did you guys just do?"

"You sure you want to know?" Marth asked nervously.

"You bet I do! I've never seen anything like that before, so spill," Klein replied eagerly.

The Beaters sighed. It looks like their secret was out now.

"It's an Extra Skill Marth and I picked up," Kirito said. "«Dual Wielding»."

Everyone was shocked by this news.

"No way! What are the prerequisites?" Klein asked eagerly.

"Don't you think we would've shared it if we knew what they were?" Marth deadpanned.

Klein scratched his head in embarrassment before scrolling through the info broker skill list. "It's not on the Info Broker skill list. I guess that means it's exclusive to you two. You've both got a «Unique Skill»," Klein said. "Why the heck did you and Kirito keep an awesome secret like this from your buddies?"

"About six months ago I was scrolling through my skill menu, and it was just… there. «Dual Wielding»," Kirito explained. "I got curious about it and messaged Marth to see if he knew anything about it. That's when he told me that he had the skill too. But if anyone else found out we had this skill…"

"They'd get really jealous since you two had something they didn't," Klein finished. "Some gamers are like that, but not me. I don't care if my friends have unique abilities. Not to mention there's that." He looked mischievously at the quartet. "Well, they say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Just keep soldiering on, you two."

The Beaters looked toward the ground. "Easier said than done," Marth replied.

"We're going to go trigger the Warp Gate. You guys coming?" Klein offered the trio.

The solo players shook their heads.

"Nah. You can take care of that. I'm wiped after that fight," Kirito said.

"Ditto," Marth added.

"All right. Be careful on your way back," Klein said before facing the stairs at the end of the room. "Hey, Kirito and Marth, you know how you both risked your lives to rescue those Army members, despite all the danger?"

The Beaters nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. What about it?" Kirito asked.

"Well. I'm glad you did it. See you later," Klein said as he waved goodbye and went up the stairs with his guild.

Marth and Kirito then noticed that Asuna and Yuuki were still hugging them.

"What's wrong, Asuna?" the Black Swordsman asked.

The Lightning Flash hugged him a little tighter. "I was so scared. I don't know what I would do if you had died today," she replied, her voice etched with desperation.

Kirito closed his eyes. "What are you talking about? You and Yuuki were the ones who ran in first," he said jokingly.

"I'm going to take a leave of absence from the guild," Asuna said suddenly, causing Kirito to open his eyes in surprise.

"Then what? You gonna just spend the day sleeping or something?" Kirito slightly teased.

"Did you forget? I said I wanted to team up with you," Asuna replied.

Kirito looked at the fencer in surprise and thought back to all the moments he shared with Asuna, from recent all the way to when they first met in Tolbana.

"Alright," Kirito said, not wanting to fight the nearly broken girl.

"Marth." Yuuki tightened her hold on the Dark Swordsman. "Please, don't ever leave me again. I don't care about you being a Beater… I just want us to be a team again."

"Yuuki," the swordsman muttered in awe. He took a deep breath. "Okay. From now on, we'll be the team you wanted us to be."

The Absolute Sword gave a slight nod of approval.

**The Next Day**

Marth and Kirito were hiding out at Agil's place now that their «Dual Wielding» skill has been made public, with Yuuki joining them. Agil had gotten the newspaper and was telling them what it said.

"The Floor 74 boss annihilated an entire Army squadron but was defeated by a 50-hit combo from two dual-wielders who defeated the boss by themselves," Agil read aloud from a newspaper. "They're really making a big deal out of this, aren't they?"

Kirito nodded. "You've got that right. That story is super exaggerated. The only thing true about it is about the two dual-wielders defeating the boss," he said as he held his face with his hand. "Revealing our «Unique Skill» has really come back to bite us in the ass. A bunch of swordsmen and info brokers went to my place this morning to hound at me about it. Now I need a new place to crash at since they know where I live."

Marth sighed in contempt. "Same with me. Those guys wouldn't leave me alone at all. I came super close to going all aggro on their arses." He crossed his arms. "But luckily it didn't come to that. Thanks to my maxed out «Hiding» skill, I was able to sneak away with ease."

"Aw," Yuuki said in mock disappointment, she had recovered quite well from her near broken state after the fight with Gleam Eyes. "You should've messaged me. I'd be more than happy to help you with that, partner."

The Dark Swordsman couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

"Besides," Yuuki continued with a mischievous smirk. "This wouldn't have happened if you two didn't reveal your «Unique Skill» during that boss fight. Maybe you guys shouldn't have used it after all."

Kirito just rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Asuna ran into the room. She was out of breath and had a troubled look on her face.

"Asuna, what's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"I tried to ask Heathcliff and Zelgius if I could take a break from the guild, but it just created a huge problem for us," Asuna said quickly.

"What?!" The solo players' eyes widened as they wondered what happened. They silently agreed to go to the K.O.B. headquarters in Granzam on Floor 55.

**Later**

Marth, Kirito, Yuuki, and Asuna had arrived at the Knights of the Blood Oath's headquarters and were speaking with her guild's co-leaders, Heathcliff and Zelgius. Heathcliff had long gray hair that was tied up in a ponytail on the back. He wore crimson red armor with white outlines and a white cape. His shield was huge and shaped like a cross. It also had a red cross on the front of it. The shield was special because it held his sword on the back side of it.

Zelgius had short black hair and his armor was the same as his partner, except his was a darker color and had black outlines. His main weapons were also a sword and shield. His shield also acted as a sheath for his sword too.

"Outside of boss fights, I don't think we've ever officially met," Heathcliff said. "Have we, Kirito and Marth?"

"Well, we did talk a little bit during the conference after the Floor 67 boss fight," Kirito replied.

Zelgius closed his eyes as he thought about the fight. "Yes, that was a difficult battle. We came close to losing quite a few players during that raid," he reminisced.

"Listen here, Darkness Duo. While we are the top guild, we just barely manage to get by with the number of players we have, and you're trying to steal one of our best members," Heathcliff said while narrowing his eyes at the swordsmen. "That is beyond cruel."

Asuna wanted to protest but was stopped when Kirito put his arm in front of her defensively. "If she's that important, then you guys should've given her a better bodyguard. The one you picked wasn't mature enough to handle the job," Kirito replied angrily.

"We apologize for the trouble Kuradeel has given you. Since then, we've made sure that our higher ranked members are given proper escorts," Zelgius said.

Heathcliff cleared his throat. "However, that doesn't mean that we can have our second-in-command leave so easily. If you want her, Kirito," he explained, "then you'll have to use your dual-wielding to take her from us. If you manage to defeat me in a duel, then Asuna is free to go. However, if you lose…" He smirked confidently. "Then you will have to join the Knights of the Blood Oath."

Kirito narrowed his eyes at the K.O.B. leader, making Asuna nervous. "Alright, fine. I accept your challenge," he said boldly. "I prefer to settle things with swords than words anyway. We'll settle this with a duel then."

Zelgius smirked and eyed the Dark Swordsman. "I can't let Heathcliff have all the fun, so what do you say, Marth? Do you want to try and take me on in a duel? You won't have to worry about having to join the guild if you lose, but you do have the option to do so."

Marth cracked a grin, making Yuuki nervous. "You bet! I always wanted to see how I would stack up against you, Zelgius," the brown-haired Beater said confidently. "Besides, I've never been one to back down from a fight, and I'm not starting now."

The dark-haired commander let out a laugh. "That's what I wanted to hear. Heathcliff and I are expecting a good fight from you two. You both better not let us down."


	14. Crimson Killing Intent

**Chapter 13 – Crimson Killing Intent**

**The Next Day on Floor 75**

Marth, Kirito, Asuna and Yuuki were waiting in a room at an arena in the town of Collinia. Tons of players were coming to four of the strongest players go head to head. Heathcliff and Zelgius had given their respective opponents the previous day to prepare for their duel. They both wanted the solo players at their best. Asuna, however, was extremely angry that two of her friends had accepted both of her commanders' challenges. The Darkness Duo were sitting on a makeshift bench while the K.O.B. vice-commander and the Absolute Sword were standing up.

"Are you both insane?! How could you two just go and agree to duel with Heathcliff and Zelgius?!" Asuna scolded the duo.

Kirito raised his hands in defense. "Hey, it's not like I had a choice in the matter," he replied.

Asuna calmed down and crossed her arms. "The other day when you and Marth used your «Dual Wielding» skill on the boss. I've never seen anything like that before. But you see, my commanders also share a «Unique Skill» too," she said.

The solo players nodded. "Yeah, we both know since we've seen it a lot during Floor Boss fights. The «Divine Blade». It increases their offensive and defensive moves all the way to the max," Kirito explained. "Both of their offenses are strong, but their defense is pretty much impregnable."

"They're basically the best tanks in the entire game. And there's the fact that no one's ever seen either Heathcliff or Zelgius's HP go down to the yellow zone at all," Marth followed up.

"Their invincibility is way beyond the game's balance. Heathcliff and Zelgius are pretty much tied as the strongest players in all of SAO," Yuuki said. "This'll be fun to watch. I only wish I was the one fighting."

"Then you can battle in my place," Marth joked.

"Can I?" she said eagerly before the quartet laughed.

"In all seriousness, what about if you lose?" Asuna said to the Black Swordsman. "Getting my leave of absence isn't what worries me. It's you having to join the Knights of the Blood Oath, Kirito."

The Beaters stood up. "Well it's not like me and Kirito plan on going down without a fight," Marth said confidently.

Kirito smirked. "You've got it easy. At least if Zelgius beats you, you won't be forced to join the guild," he said in slight annoyance.

Marth glared at his best friend. "Hold on. Are you saying I'll lose?" he asked angrily.

"N-no, of course not. Zelgius won't know what hit him," Kirito said hastily with his hands raised defensively.

Marth smirked, indicating that he was just kidding. "And neither will Heathcliff," the Dark Swordsman replied.

The Darkness Duo did a fist bump and went to the arena's battleground with Asuna and Yuuki close behind. The Lightning Flash and Absolute Sword stopped right at the battleground entrance to watch the duels from the sidelines. The two solo players stood in the middle of the arena with their opponents.

"Apologies for the huge crowd," Heathcliff said. "Zelgius and I didn't think that our duels would attract this much attention."

"Do Marth and I get a cut in the profits?" Kirito joked.

"Nice try. But after you lose, Black Swordsman, you'll become an official member of the guild," Heathcliff replied. "If you want, you can consider this your first mission."

"You ready to lose, Dark Swordsman?" Zelgius asked his opponent.

"I think you've got that backwards. You're the one who's going to lose," Marth replied with a smirk.

"I like your confidence. Let's see if you and your partner can back it up," Zelgius said as he and his partner sent a Tag Team duel challenge to the solo players.

The Beater duo agreed to pick the "First Strike" option for the type of duel. The one-minute prep timer started, and the duelists drew their swords. Even though this was a two on two duel, they were all going to focus on just one opponent. When time ran out, the duel began. The Darkness Duo made the first move by charging at the K.O.B. leaders and swung their swords at high speed. However, Heathcliff and Zelgius easily blocked the attacks with their shields. They then pushed their shields forward and lunged with their swords, but Marth and Kirito quickly jumped back and avoided the attacks. Zelgius and his partner charged at their respective opponents and did a feint with their swords, prompting the dual-wielders to dodge, before slamming the solo players in the chest with their shields.

"They use their shields to attack?" Marth said in shock.

"Talk about a good defense making a good offense," Kirito commented.

The solo players recoiled back a few feet and saw their opponents charging straight towards them with their shields ready. The duelists locked swords before the Beaters backed off to activate «Vorpal Strike» with their right swords, which was a single forward lunge. The dual-wielders charged and struck their opponents' shields, whose HP went down a little due to the force from the impact. The Beaters ended up grazing right past their opponents and quickly turned to face them.

"Both of your reaction times are very impressive," Heathcliff commented.

"I don't think I've ever faced against a player that was able to react that fast before," Zelgius followed.

The solo players smirked confidently. "And your defenses are virtually unbreakable," Marth remarked.

"But that doesn't mean we won't stop trying," Kirito finished.

The duelists charged at their respective opponents at high speed and constantly clashed swords with each other.

_"Not yet. I have to wait until I get an opening,"_ Marth thought as his swords clashed against Zelgius's shield.

After a few moments the dual-wielders' offense, the shield-users managed to scratch their opponents' cheeks with the tips of their swords, but the Beaters' assault continued. Asuna watched her friends fight her leaders in worry, while Yuuki looked ecstatic.

"Please be careful, Kirito and Marth," Asuna muttered.

"You can do it, Marth!" Yuuki cheered in excitement.

The dual-wielders lunged with their right swords and were able to scratch their opponents' cheeks. The commanders were caught off guard by this and put on a serious face.

_"NOW,"_ Marth and Kirito thought in sync.

They let out a scream as they activated «Starburst Stream». The K.O.B. commanders were able to block the first seven hits with their shields, but the eighth attack knocked their shields back, leaving them defenseless.

"This is it, Marth!" Kirito exclaimed.

"You bet!" Marth replied.

The dual-wielders did a downward slash with their right swords, which was to be the final blow, but right before the attacks hit their targets, time seemed to stop. The dual-wielders' eyes widened in shock as Heathcliff and Zelgius's shields moved at an impossible speed. Time then returned to normal as the K.O.B. commanders somehow managed to block the attacks with their shields, which knocked the dual-wielders to the side. The shield users easily stabbed their opponents in the shoulder which reduced their HP to the yellow zone, ending the duel in the commanders' victory. The Beaters landed on the ground flat on their butts, shocked at the outcome. All the players in the stands cheered at what seemed to be the best fight they've ever seen. It looked as though only Marth and Kirito saw what happened right at the end of the duel.

"What the hell was that? There's no way Zelgius and Heathcliff could block our attacks that quickly," Marth said in disbelief.

"Yeah. That move was way too fast for any player to pull off. It was like the system itself was helping them, but that's impossible," Kirito said.

Heathcliff and Zelgius approached the Darkness Duo, who stood up in response.

"You both put up an excellent fight," Heathcliff said. "But it just wasn't good enough. And Kirito, I expect that you'll honor your part of the deal since you lost."

The Black Swordsman groaned because since he lost, he now has to join the Knights of the Blood Oath.

Zelgius looked at Marth in the eye. "What about you, Marth?" the dark-haired commander asked. "You're an extraordinary swordsman. The Knights of the Blood Oath would be lucky to have you in it. So, will you do us the honor by joining our guild?"

Marth paused to think for a few moments and stared at Yuuki. "I would join, but unfortunately I made a promise to someone that we'd be a team forever," Marth said. "I can't go back on my word."

Zelgius glanced at the Absolute Sword briefly before returning his focus on the Dark Swordsman.

"I understand. At least add us to your friend list so that we can contact you in case of an emergency. If you ever change your mind, know that the offer still stands."

"Okay."

**Later**

The Darkness Duo, Yuuki, and Asuna were at Agil's store in Algade, where the Beaters were crashing at. Kirito was now wearing a white overcoat with red lines, gray pants, everything else was stuff he had on before.

"Ugh. Don't you guys have any uniforms that aren't flashy?" Kirito asked in disgust.

"That's actually one of our least flashy ones," Asuna replied as she was sitting on a chair. "But you look great anyway."

Kirito fell backward on his bed while Marth leaned on the wall with Yuuki sitting in a chair beside him.

"I can't believe that I'm in a guild," the Black Swordsman said.

"Sorry," Asuna said in sympathy. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't tried to get a leave of absence from the guild…"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I was already dangerously close to the limit of playing solo," he replied. "This is actually a good opportunity. Except I really hate this outfit. Maybe I can speak to the commanders to see if I can wear my blackwyrm coat instead."

Asuna thought of something. "Hey, Kirito and Marth. Why did you guys avoid guilds for so long?" she asked curiously, prompting Kirito to sit up. "I doubt it's because you're both beta testers or because you two have a «Unique Skill». I know that you two do care about other people."

"The reason I never joined a guild was because I didn't want them to deal with me being a Beater," Marth replied, his arms crossed. "Sure, that title nonsense has calmed down a lot since it started, but I still chose to fight solo because that's what I'm used to. Also… I didn't want people dying around me, or people blaming me for the deaths. But that's not the case anymore. Now I have a partner to rely on."

"You got that right!" Yuuki mused. "We'll be the best team in all of Aincrad!"

The quartet laughed a little before Kirito's eyes turned gloomy.

"It's different for me. About a year ago I joined this guild," Kirito said in a sorrowful tone. "It was really small. Including me there were six of us. The guild was called the Moonlit Black Cats. They were good as players, but their levels way below mine and I ended up keeping my true level a secret from them. I hung out with for a while and watched them have fun. It felt nice to be a part of it. But one day…"

Asuna's eyes widened in horror as Kirito told her about the trap that killed his former guildmates. Marth on the other hand, gritted his teeth as he thought back at his failure to help keep those players safe. Yuuki was silent as she recalled Marth mentioning the incident to her last Christmas.

"I'm the reason for their deaths. If I told them that I was a Beater, I could've warned them about that trap," Kirito continued. "I got them all killed. Sachi. All of them."

Asuna stood up and walked to Kirito. She held his face in her hands and had him look directly at her.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna die, okay," she told him. "I have to stay alive, so I can protect you. And I know that Marth and Yuuki feel the same way." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Besides, we both know they're too stubborn to die."

"I heard that!" Marth and Yuuki exclaimed in sync, causing the others to laugh.

The Lightning Flash comforted her grieving friend by pulling him into a hug. Marth smiled at the duo before he and Yuuki quietly left the room.

"You were there when they died, weren't you?" Yuuki questioned, referring to the Moonlit Black Cats.

Marth's eyes filled with remorse. "I was outside the room when it happened. Kirito asked me to shadow them in case they got ambushed by monsters. I let my guard down too soon and failed to see the trap until it was too late. Weeks before that incident, they invited me to join the guild, but I refused." Marth balled his hands into fists. "Sometimes I can't help but think that maybe if I had accepted, I could've prevented their deaths."

Suddenly Yuuki grabbed Marth's hands, catching the Beater off-guard. "Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault, Marth. There's nothing you could've done. You can't save everyone, no matter how strong you are. There is a limit one person can do."

Marth gawked at the Absolute Sword in disbelief. "When did you get this deep?"

Yuuki giggled. "It's something my dad taught me when I was little. I never really understood it until I met you. Now stop being so gloomy and smile!"

Marth chuckled lightly. "Roger that."

**The Next Day**

The quartet were at the K.O.B. headquarters in Granzam. Kirito and Asuna finally managed to find some time to hang out, with Marth and Yuuki dropping by for a visit. Kirito groaned as he had to endure learning all the rules and regulations the guild has. The quartet were sitting alone in a lounge.

Kirito nodded. "I swear, if I have to hear one more rule or protocol, I'm gonna lose it," the Black Swordsman replied.

"Wish you were still a solo player?" Marth teased.

"What do you think?!"

"You seemed to have mastered the complaining skill, Kirito. C'mon, it's not that bad," Asuna said teasingly as she found the black-haired Beater's complaints quite humorous.

Sadly, their alone time didn't last long as a man with orange hair and beard entered the room and walked to the trio. The man's name was Godfree, and he had a two-handed axe strapped to his back.

"I finally found you, Kirito," Godfree said. "Since you're a new recruit, I have to take you and another member to a dungeon and evaluate your skills."

Marth raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Kirito and I took out a Floor Boss with our «Dual-Wielding» skill by ourselves and went head to head against your leaders," he replied, unamused. "And last I checked, we almost beat your commanders. I doubt he really needs to be tested."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I think that shows how strong I am. There's no need for a test."

Godfree shook his head. "Sorry, but it's the rules," he replied. "C'mon. It'll be fun. I expect to see you at the Western Gate in half an hour. See ya at the gate." Godfree then left the room.

"And right when we finally had the time to hang out together," Asuna said in disappointment.

Kirito stood up from his chair. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon," he said with a smirk. "It shouldn't take that long to clear a dungeon on this Floor with my level." He was about to leave right until he realized one tiny little detail. "Uh, Asuna. Where's the meeting place again?"

His friends laughed at his cluelessness. Asuna led the Black Swordsman to the gate with Marth and Yuuki tagging along since they literally didn't have anything better to do. When they arrived, the trio saw Godfree waving at them.

"Hey kid! We're over here!" Godfree exclaimed before revealing who the third party member was and it was none other than…

"Kuradeel?!" the Beaters said in surprise.

"Uh, Godfree. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asuna asked in concern as she remembered the last time Kirito had crossed paths with Kuradeel.

"Yes. This is a good way for these two to bury the past since we're all in the same guild," Godfree explained before facing his party. "We'll be back soon, so don't worry about it, ma'am."

"Okay," Asuna said, still not convinced.

Kirito stared at Kuradeel for a bit after the latter had apologized for his actions, but there was something in his tone that made Kirito feel uneasy. He walked over to his best friend under the guise of saying goodbye.

"Shadow us," Kirito whispered in Marth's ear. "I don't trust Kuradeel."

Marth nodded. "Neither do I," he muttered back. "Don't worry. We'll be right behind you."

The two parted as Kirito left with his party members and Marth stayed behind with Asuna and Yuuki.

Sensing her partner's uneasiness, Yuuki asked, "What's wrong?"

Marth quickly explained what they had to do, and since it was for Kirito and Godfree's safety (though mostly Kirito's), Asuna agreed to it. Yuuki needed no convincing since she would go wherever Marth would go. They gave the other group a ten-minute head start to put enough distance between them to avoid suspicion. The duo followed their guild mates into a canyon. Marth and Yuuki fought off any monsters that crossed their path while Asuna kept an eye on the map which showed the locations of her guildmates. After a while the other group stopped moving, prompting the duo to assume that they were stopping for a lunch break. The trio decided to do the same.

"Marth, are you sure we should be doing this?" Asuna asked as she handed her friends some of her homemade sandwiches. "I mean, what if you and Kirito are wrong about Kuradeel?"

"Yes. Both Kirito and I have really good instincts. If something seems a tad off, we'd notice," the Dark Swordsman replied.

"You know what they say," Yuuki added. "Once a creep, always a creep."

They ate their lunch quietly until disaster struck.

"Godfree's position has disappeared from the map!" Asuna exclaimed when she checked her map. "And Kuradeel is right next to Kirito!"

The trio all knew that Godfree's level was too high for him to be killed by monsters on the Floor they were on. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

"We have to hurry," Marth said before they took off running at high speed with their swords ready.

They quickly arrived at the Black Swordsman's position and saw that Kuradeel (who now had an orange cursor) was trying to kill what seemed to be a paralyzed Kirito. Marth and Yuuki took the orange player by surprise and each used a Sword Skill to knock him towards the canyon wall. Kirito's HP was dangerously close to the red zone, but Asuna used a Healing Crystal to restore it to full.

"About time you guys showed up," Kirito said in mock annoyance.

"Sorry we're late," Marth replied casually as he got between his friends and Kuradeel. "Got distracted by a few monsters."

"We made it. I'm so glad we did," Asuna said in relief. "When I saw Godfree disappear from the map, I knew that something bad had happened."

Kuradeel had recovered and tried to feign innocence. "Asuna, I can explain…" he tried to say.

"Can it, you bastard," Yuuki interrupted. "We know that you're the one who killed Godfree, not to mention that we just saw you almost kill Kirito and your orange cursor."

"Careful guys," Kirito said slowly. "Kuradeel's in Laughing Coffin." Marth, Yuuki and Asuna's eyes widened in shock.

"PoH must've recruited him. He's the only member of Laughing Coffin that's unaccounted for," Asuna suggested. "Not to mention he was their leader."

The trio faced the PKer. "You're sick. Why would you join up with the murder guild?" Marth questioned. "Do you even care that when a player dies in this game, they die in real life?!"

Kuradeel gave them a cynical smile. "You and Kirito humiliated me of Floor 74. Thanks to you two, I was revoked of my duty to protect Asuna," he explained. "When Godfree wanted to go in a dungeon with me and Kirito, I saw the perfect opportunity to kill him and eliminate a witness too. Sure, I was disappointed that you couldn't come with us, Marth, but now that both you pathetic Beaters are here, I can finish what I…" His monologue was interrupted when Yuuki stabbed him with «Vorpal Strike».

"You know, for a murderer, you suck. All I wanted was to hear what your plan was but I'm losing my patience," the Absolute Sword said in irritation. "Now, are you gonna come quietly, or are will we have to try a more forceful approach."

Kuradeel secretly grabbed some dust from the ground and stood up, something that didn't go unnoticed by Marth.

"Yuuki! Watch out!" Marth cried out as Kuradeel threw the dust towards the swordswoman's eyes, however Marth pushed Yuuki out of the way, causing the dust to blind him instead.

"Die Beater!" Kuradeel exclaimed as he swung his sword at the defenseless dual-wielder.

Suddenly Kirito, whose paralysis had worn off, got in front of his best friend and shielded him with his left wrist, but his hand was cut off in the process. Luckily lost limbs respawn after a couple minutes if they're severed. With his other hand, Kirito activated the «Martial Arts» Sword Skill «Embracer» which reduced the orange player's HP to zero.

"You… you bastard. You murdered me," Kuradeel said before he shattered into polygons.

Kirito fell to his knees while Marth finally managed to get the dust out of his eyes. Asuna walked to the black-haired Beater before she got on her knees.

"I'm sorry Kirito. This is all my fault," she said with tears in her eyes. "Maybe I should…" The Lightning Flash was interrupted when Kirito had turned around and pulled her into a kiss. The K.O.B. vice-commander was caught off guard from this but didn't resist and kissed back.

"It's about time," Marth mumbled quietly.

"Definitely," Yuuki agreed.

The pair broke off. "Hey Asuna. Mind if I stay with you tonight?" Kirito asked.

Asuna smiled while blushing. "Sure."

Marth felt a tap on his shoulder, which was none other than Yuuki. Instead of seeing her usual demeanor, Marth saw sorrow in the Absolute Sword.

"What's wrong, Yuuki?"

"I'm an idiot," the swordswoman said with her head down, confusing her partner. "I-I nearly lost you back on Floor 74. I thought I finally had the courage to tell you but I…" Suddenly Marth stroked her cheek with his right hand, causing her to look up. Yuuki couldn't hold it in anymore and kissed Marth on the lips, who kissed back in response.

"Looks like we're not the only couple here," Kirito said.

The second pair then broke off. "Marth, would it be all right if I stayed with you tonight?" Yuuki asked.

Marth smiled. "Of course."

The group then returned to the K.O.B. Headquarters, where they told Heathcliff and Zelgius what happened. Kirito and Asuna then went to Selmburg while Marth and Yuuki teleported to Algade. Instead of going to Agil's place, Marth took Yuuki to his home. Thankfully no one was camping outside it, signaling that people have since given up on trying to press Marth for information about his «Dual-Wielding» skill.

Marth's home was akin to a small apartment with all the basic furniture, one bedroom and a small kitchen.

"Make yourself at home," the Dark Swordsman said as he unequipped all but his shirt, pants and shoes.

Yuuki more than obliged by changing into a purple shirt and light blue shorts.

"You only have one bed," Yuuki commented.

Marth scratched his head. "Sorry. I can sleep on the couch if you want."

"Or we could just share."

Not wanting to fight her, Marth agreed. Since it was late and neither of them felt like eating, they both changed into sleepwear. Yuuki climbed into bed, while Marth sat by the edge.

"This feels like a dream," Yuuki said. "I've wanted to tell you how I felt for years, but I never had the guts to do it."

"I find that hard to believe," Marth said with a smile. "You're one of the bravest people I know. No matter what happens, you always act cheerful. That's what I like about you."

Yuuki blushed in embarrassment. "R-really?"

"I know of a small village on the south side of Floor 22," Marth said. "We could stay there for a while and not have to worry about anyone recognizing us."

"Sounds fun, but what would we do there?"

"Well… we could get married."

Yuuki couldn't help but smile with joy.


	15. Girl Of Morning Dew

**Chapter 14- Girl of Morning Dew**

**October 24, 2024**

Kirito and Asuna were speaking with Heathcliff and Zelgius for a break from the guild. The new couple had made certain plans, though neither of them told their commanders what those plans were.

"I see. We shouldn't be surprised by this, considering what you two just went through," Heathcliff said. "You can have your break."

The duo smiled in gratitude.

"However. I trust that you two won't be gone that long," Zelgius followed. "We still have a mission to complete. To reach Floor 100 and return to the real world."

They nodded and were dismissed. The duo walked over to the Warp Gate, where Marth and Yuuki were waiting, who were holding hands. Kirito had spoken with Heathcliff and was now allowed to wear his black outfit instead of the guild's uniform, which was something he was glad about.

Marth noticed their arrival and said, "Well? How'd it go?"

"We got our break," Kirito replied. "Looks like we'll be going to Floor 22 together."

"Great," Yuuki said eagerly. "Let's go buy some houses!"

The other three chuckled at her enthusiasm and all teleported to Floor 22, which was covered in lakes and woods.

**Later**

After hours of searching, the group finally managed to find a pair of log cabins that were next to each other. Marth and Yuuki bought one while Kirito and Asuna bought the other. Both cabins had a large bedroom with two beds, a living room and a kitchen.

Yuuki, now dressed in a long-sleeved purple shirt, a red skirt and white shoes, ran to end of the patio and admired the view of a large lake and mountain range in the distance. "This place is awesome!" she exclaimed with joy. She had a silver ring on her right ring finger.

Marth walked up behind her and wrapped his left arm around her. "I know, but don't fall of the balcony. That would kinda suck." He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, and black boots. He also had a silver ring in the same place.

"We even got a good deal on this house," Yuuki told her new husband.

"Except now we're totally broke," Marth replied.

Yuuki giggled as she placed her left hand on top of Marth's. "Worth it. This place gives an old-homey sort of vibe. I'm glad I came to this world, because I got to meet you, Marth."

The Dark Swordsman nodded. "So am I, Yuuki. So am I."

**A Few Days Later**

Marth and Yuuki were having breakfast with Kirito and Asuna (who were also married) at the latter couple's house.

Kirito was wearing the same outfit he wore when they were at the Lighting Flash's home in Selmburg, while Asuna was wearing a yellow turtle neck with a white collar, a brown skirt that went down to her knees and brown boots. They both had a silver ring on their right ring fingers.

"Man, Asuna. If you and Yuuki chose to start a restaurant, you'd probably drive all the other ones out of business," Marth commented as he ate. "With all your homemade sauces and incredible food, players would line up for miles for just a taste."

"I agree," Yuuki added. "My cooking may not be as good as Asuna's, it's still good regardless."

The Lightning Flash smiled at the compliment. "Yeah, but I don't think Kirito would like that," she replied. "We both know how greedy he can get when it comes to my cooking."

The two laughed as Kirito gave them a hurt look. "Now that's just cold," the Black Swordsman said. "In case you haven't noticed, I've gotten better at letting go of that."

"So, you _do_ admit that you were greedy for Asuna's food?" Yuuki teased.

She, her husband and Asuna all laughed even harder as Kirito just looked away in annoyance.

"Sorry Kirito, but you walked right into that," Marth said in-between laughs before collecting himself. "Alright, that's enough teasing. What should we do today?"

Kirito recovered and faced his friend. "There's this cool place I heard about in the village. How about we go check it out?"

"Sure, I'm down with that," Asuna agreed.

"We're in too," Yuuki added.

After breakfast, the group headed out with Kirito in the lead. Both couples were holding hands.

"So where are we going?" Yuuki asked curiously.

"It's a surprise. You'll have to wait until we get there," Kirito replied.

The Lightning Flash decided to pass the time by asking her husband to carry her on his shoulders.

"Uh, aren't you a little too old for that?" Kirito questioned as they stopped walking.

"That doesn't matter. It's just boring seeing things at the height. Besides Kirito, your strength parameter is high enough that you won't even break a sweat," his in-game wife explained.

Kirito reluctantly agreed before getting on his knees. Asuna adjusted her skirt so that she could climb on.

"If you turn around, I'll slap you," she told her husband before looking at the Dark Swordsman, who was already looking away. "Same with you, Marth."

"Are you gonna get on or not?" Kirito asked, who was getting impatient.

Asuna got on Kirito's shoulders, prompting him to stand up once she was secure. The Lightning Flash looked in awe at what she saw.

"Hey! You can already see the waterfall from over here," she said.

"No. You can see the waterfall, we can't," Marth corrected as he turned to face the couple.

"Can you carry me too, Marth?" Yuuki asked, giving her husband her best puppy-dog eyes.

Marth sighed in defeat, knowing full well that he couldn't refuse that face. "Fine." He got on his knees so Yuuki could climb on his shoulders. Once she was secure, Marth rose to his feet.

"Wow!" Yuuki said in awe. "You can see far from this height!"

The group continued and reached a tree with berries on its branches near a huge lake. By the water was a group of fishermen. One of them was a fifty-year-old man wearing glasses who had noticed the group. He waved at them while Asuna, Yuuki and Marth returned the gesture, but the Black Swordsman didn't.

"If you don't wave, he'll think you're rude," Marth said.

"I'm not doing it. In case you've forgotten, I've got a teenage girl on my shoulders," Kirito replied.

"So do I, but you don't see me being a jerk about it."

"Do you want me to get down or something?" Asuna asked.

Marth noticed Kirito form a mischievous grin. "Nope. Just sit back and enjoy the ride," the black-haired Beater said.

He surprised Asuna by breaking into a run with Marth following close behind. Yuuki cheered in excitement about the increase in speed. The group ended up in a forest that led to the waterfall.

"When I was in town the other day, I heard a rumor about this forest," Kirito said.

"What'd you hear?" Yuuki asked.

"If you travel deep into the forest, you'll see… them," Kirito explained. "Ghosts."

"Are you talking about those Astral-type monsters?" Asuna asked nervously.

"Nope. Real ghosts," her husband replied, giving his wife a scare as she and Yuuki looked around nervously. "I heard that a carpenter was in this forest about a week ago to get wood for a project, but he lost track of time and before he knew it, it was night. He then saw a white figure standing next to a tree in the distance." Unbeknownst to him and Marth, Asuna and Yuuki saw something white moving in the distance. "Did he see a monster, or something else?"

Asuna started to freak out. "Guys! Look over there!" She pointed where she saw the white figure, but when the boys turned to look, there was nothing there.

"You okay, Asuna? You're acting like you've just seen a ghost," Marth said before he and Kirito looked away from the spot. Asuna and Yuuki got even more spooked. "Sorry. I could've chosen my words a bit more carefully."

"I want to get down! I want to get down!" Asuna cried out before getting off her husband's shoulders and got behind him.

"So do I!" Yuuki exclaimed as she rolled off Marth's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"There's something over there," Asuna said pointing at a white figure in the distance.

The Beaters activated their «Searching» skill and saw that it was a little girl with long black hair that went down to her waist. She was wearing just a simple white dress.

"No way," Kirito said in shock.

Asuna crouched down while closing her eyes and covering her ears. It looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. Suddenly, the little girl collapsed.

Marth gasped. "That's not a ghost," he said before he ran towards the girl.

"Marth. Wait up!" Kirito cried as he went after his best friend, prompting Asuna and Yuuki to follow them.

Kirito knelt on the right side of the unconscious girl while holding her in his arms. Marth was kneeling on the other side examining her.

"It's… just another player?" Yuuki questioned as she and Asuna approached them.

"I think so, but there's something strange about her," Kirito replied. "She doesn't have a cursor."

Asuna checked and saw that her husband was right. "Do you think it could be some sort bug?"

Marth shrugged. "It's possible, but this is the first I've heard of something like this," he answered. "And why's a little girl playing SAO all alone?"

"We can ask her when she wakes up," Kirito said. "But we should take her back to the house where it's safe."

The others nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good idea." Asuna replied.

Kirito lifted the girl bridal-style and the group headed back to the cabins.

**That Evening**

Kirito had laid the little girl on the spare bed in the bedroom and pulled the blankets over her. He then joined his wife and friends, who were sitting on the other bed.

"I'm positive about one thing. She's not an NPC," Kirito said as he sat down. "There wasn't a problem taking her here. If she was, then I would've gotten a harassment warning the moment I picked her up."

Yuuki nodded. "And she's not a quest giver either. Our quest logs would have been updated the moment we interacted with her."

"That means she has to be a player. She must have been wandering around lost for a while," Marth guessed. "That's the only explanation."

"But what was she doing out there all alone? She's too young to be playing this game by herself, so she had to have logged on with someone from her family," Asuna replied. "I wonder if something happened to them."

"I wish I knew. From the looks of things, she hasn't been in the field that long," Marth said. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to find out for sure."

"I hope she does," Asuna said worriedly.

Kirito comforted his wife. "Relax. Since her avatar body is still here, that means that signals are coming from her NerveGear," he replied. "She's just in a sort of 'Sleep' mode."

Since it was late, both couples chose to call it a night, with Marth and Yuuki returning to their cabin.

**That Night**

Marth noticed Yuuki stirring in the bed. "Are you okay?" he asked his wife.

"I'm just worried about that little girl. What if she doesn't wake up?"

"She will wake up. I know she will. We'll go over first thing tomorrow to check on her. Does that sound good?"

Yuuki gave her husband a light smile. "Yes. Thank you, Marth."

The Dark Swordsman returned the gesture and the duo fell asleep.

**The Next Day**

Just as Marth promised, they went over to Kirito and Asuna's house when they woke up. When they arrived, they immediately went to the bedroom and saw that the girl was awake.

"Good timing, you two," Kirito said. "I was just about to message you that she was up."

Asuna sitting next the girl, prompting the others to join her.

"I'm glad you're finally awake," Asuna said to the girl as she helped her sit up. "Do you remember what happened to you before you passed out?"

The girl paused for a few moments before shaking her head.

"Do you know your name?" Marth asked politely.

"My… name? I think… its Yui," the girl replied in a soft voice. "Yes, that's my name. Yui."

"Yui, huh? It's nice to meet you," Asuna said soothingly. "My name's Asuna. This is Kirito, Marth, and Yuuki."

Yui looked at the older players. She was struggling to say Kirito and Asuna's names, but Marth and Yuuki's were the only ones that was easy for her to pronounce.

"Yui, do you know why you were in the forest all alone?" Kirito asked the girl. "Do you have any idea where your parents are?"

Yui shook her head. "No. I don't remember anything," she replied.

The Absolute Sword's eyes filled with sorrow. "That's so sad."

Kirito sat next to Yui and tried to help her pronounce his name correctly. After two failed attempts, he told her she can call him whatever was easiest for. The trio was surprised when Yui called Kirito "Daddy" and Asuna "Mommy." Although what really surprised them even more was when Yui called the Dark Swordsman "Uncle Marth" and the Absolute Sword "Auntie". Seeing that the little girl desperately needed a family for comfort, the teens chose to play along. They decided to have breakfast, and afterward Marth went outside for some practice. The newly formed family watched the swordsman swing his Lunara around and activate «Horizontal Square».

"Mommy, is Uncle Marth always like this?" Yui asked curiously.

Asuna smiled. "Yep. He's always trying to improve himself. Marth's really strong."

"He has to," Yuuki added. "After all, he's married to me. He's gotta keep up."

Since he was pretty much on vacation, Marth decided to cut his training early. He put Lunara back in his item storage and walked to the family.

"Sorry guys, but I think I shouldn't be training during my vacation," Marth said.

They ended up finding other things to do until it was lunch time. Asuna had made Kirito some spicy sandwiches, regular sandwiches for Marth and Yuuki, and what looked like a pie for Yui. The teenagers ate their food while Yui stared at her adoptive father's sandwich.

"I'm not sure you should eat this, Yui," Kirito said. "This stuff's really spicy."

Yui gave him a big smile. "But I want what you're having, Daddy," she replied.

"Alright. If you think you can handle it, I won't stop you," Kirito said before giving his "daughter" one of his sandwiches, much to Asuna's shock and Marth and Yuuki's amusement.

The little girl took a bite and after swallowing, she smiled. "I like it," Yui said, impressing her "father" and "uncle."

"Talk about an iron stomach," Marth commented. "Maybe you guys should do a super spicy dinner tonight."

Asuna shook her head and glared at brown-haired Beater. "Not happening. I'm not making anything nuclear. Got it?" she said angrily.

Kirito shrugged and faced Yui. "You heard the lady," he said. "Sorry."

"You heard the lady," Yui repeated, prompting her and Kirito to laugh.

After lunch Yui fell asleep. Her adopted family debated on what they should do with her.

"It might be a good idea to take Yui to the Town of Beginnings. Since her gear isn't that good, if she has a family they're probably looking for her there," Kirito said.

The other teens nodded in agreement, although Asuna did it reluctantly.

"She's a blank slate, and I want to help her as best as I can," Asuna replied while coming close to crying. "She's just like a baby."

Yuuki put her hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort her. "I know that you want to take care of Yui until her memories return, but we have to find her family," the Absolute Sword said. "If she has any, there's no doubt that they're worried sick about her."

Kirito nodded and walked to his wife. "We have to get back to the front lines soon, otherwise Yui will never be free from this death game." He held his wife's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't want to say goodbye to Yui either, but Yuuki's right. We have to get her back to her family. Even though we just met her, she's made our cabin feel like it's a real home."

The Lightning Flash smiled, indicating that she thought the same thing as her husband does.

"Mommy," Yui said in her sleep. "Daddy. Uncle Marth. Auntie."

Marth equipped his overcoat and adjusted the collar. "That town is the Army's home base," he explained. "It might be a good idea to put our gear on before we go."

The others nodded and went to change into their Assault gear. The group didn't equip their weapons, as they felt it wasn't necessary to do so. Once Yui woke up, Asuna gave her some clothes to change into, which was a pink turtle neck, a blue skirt, and brown shoes.

**Later**

The "family" had just arrived in the plaza of the Town of Beginnings. Kirito was carrying Yui on his back.

"Man, I haven't been here in a long time," Marth said as he looked around.

"Me too," Yuuki agreed.

The Clearers flashbacked to when Kayaba and Brandon had told everyone the new rules of Sword Art Online.

"Do any of these buildings look familiar to you, Yui?" Asuna asked her daughter.

The little girl looked around and shook her head. "No. None of them do."

"Don't worry about it. This town's huge," Kirito replied, trying to cheer her up. "Just tell us when you see something you recognize."

They decided to go to the central market in hopes of Yui remembering something. What was strange was that there were barely any players there.

"Hey guys. How many people do you think are here?" Asuna asked curiously.

"Let's see. The last I checked, there was about 6,000 players still alive in SAO," Marth replied. "And about 30% of them, including the Army, live here in the Town of Beginnings."

"So that would be about 2,000 or so," Kirito finished. "Although it's strange how quiet it is here."

"Yeah, it is," Yuuki agreed. "It's kinda creepy."

"Leave those kids alone!" a female voice cried in an alley near the group.

The Clearers made eye-contact and went in to investigate. There they saw a woman (name is Sasha) arguing with five members from the Army. Behind the Army were three kids: two boys and one girl.

"Please. Let them go," Sasha pleaded.

The Army guy closest to her sneered. "We're not doing anything illegal," he said arrogantly. "We're just making sure that they know the rules here and make their payments. This is the Army's job, ma'am."

"But they're just children," Sasha reprimanded before looking at the kids. "Ginn. Cain. Mina. Are you three alright?"

"Help us, Sasha," Mina cried. "These guys won't leave us alone!"

"They just want your money. If you give it to them, you'll be okay," Sasha replied.

"But we've tried that, but they say it's not enough," Ginn said, shocking their care-taker.

"You guys owe us a lot of tax money. You're gonna have to give us all the equipment you have to pay it off," the Army squad leader told the care-taker, the latter saw that the children had their equipment on the ground.

Sasha gritted her teeth, struggling to figure out what to do. The Clearers had had enough of watching the Army harass innocent players. They jumped over the squad and got between them and the kids, shocking everyone.

Asuna turned towards the kids. "Pick up your items. We'll take care of this."

The children stared at the Clearers in surprise before quickly taking back their equipment.

"Who the heck do you think you are?" one of the Army demanded. "This is Army business, so stay out of it!"

The couple and Yuuki noticed Lunara materialize in a black scabbard on Marth's back, which he subsequently drew. "Yuuki. Kirito. Asuna. Keep an eye on Yui," the Dark Swordsman said calmly. "I'm gonna teach these guys a lesson for trying to strong arm little kids."

His wife and friends smiled, knowing that the Army members were in serious trouble. Unfortunately for the Army members, they didn't.

The squad leader walked to the end of his group and faced the Clearers.

"You're gonna teach us a lesson, kid? You clearly don't know who you're dealing with," he said.

Marth simply stared at the Army members. "You've got that backwards. You're the one who doesn't know who you're dealing with."

The Dark Swordsman walked right in front of the leader and paused for a moment. The Army members assumed that he was going to beg, but boy were they wrong. Marth quickly activated «Vorpal Strike» and struck the commander in the chest, knocking him off his feet. But the swordsman wasn't done, because he activated the same Sword Skill again and struck the downed commander once more. Everyone, except the other Clearers and Yui, were shocked.

"Since we're in a Safe Zone, my attacks won't reduce your HP no matter how many times I strike you outside of a duel," Marth explained. "All that'll happen is you getting knocked off your feet." His eyes grew cold. "But don't think that'll save you because it won't. Fighting me will still scare the heck out of you. You'll wish you were facing a Floor Boss instead of me." He readied his weapon for another strike, prompting the fallen leader to turn around and attempt to flee.

"No. Please stop!" he begged, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as his attacker hit him in the back with «Vorpal Strike» once more. The leader looked up at his squad. "Are you idiots going to just stand there or help me out?"

One of the squad members then recognized Marth's sword.

"That's the Lunara. There's only one player in the entire game that has it. A brown-haired Beater dressed in black," he said in realization, his eyes widening as he spoke. "Oh crap, that's him! That's Marth, the Dark Swordsman. He's one of the Beaters on the Assault Team."

All the non-Clearers, minus Yui, were shocked by this revelation.

"Why would someone like you be all the way down here?" another Army member asked furiously.

All Marth did in response was hold his sword up in a fighting position, his eyes not showing a shred of mercy in them. Now knowing who they were dealing with, the Army squad retreated. They screamed in fear as they ran away. The Dark Swordsman watched them leave before sheathing Lunara.

"That was awesome!" Ginn exclaimed.

Marth turned and saw the three kids approach him with excitement.

"You're so strong!" Cain cheered. "You just went up and attacked that Army guy like he was nothing."

Marth let out an amused chuckle. "It's not that big a deal," the Beater replied. "I just wasn't going to let those guys do whatever they wanted and get away with it."

Yuuki walked over to her husband and pecked him on the cheek. "You certainly taught them a lesson. They scurried away like the rats they are."

While Sasha was thanking the swordsman for his aid, Yui suddenly stretched her hand toward the sky.

"Everyone's hearts…" she said, catching her parents' attention.

"What's wrong, Yui?" Asuna asked in concern. "Did you remember something?"

Yui lowered her hand. "I was never here," she replied. "I was always alone. Alone in the dark." Yui let out a loud scream, causing the game to glitch. She then fell off of Kirito's back, but Asuna caught Yui before she hit the ground.

"Yui, are you okay?!" Asuna asked desperately as she held the girl close.

"Mommy. Don't make me go back in the dark," Yui replied. She cried for a few seconds before passing out.

Marth and Yuuki ran over to the couple and looked at the unconscious girl. "What the heck was that?" the Dark Swordsman asked in shock.

"Yui somehow caused a glitch when she had a panic attack," Kirito replied. "But that's impossible."

The trio faced Yui, wondering if she'll be okay.

**To be continued**


	16. Yui's Heart

**Chapter 15- Yui's Heart**

**November 1, 2024**

The two couples were having breakfast at a church that Sasha had turned into a safe haven for children players. Much to the Clearers' surprise, there were a lot of children there. Yui had recovered from the strange panic attack she had yesterday and was eating breakfast with her family. They had explained the reason why they came to Floor 1 to Sasha, who had told them that she hadn't seen her before.

"I never thought that there would be so many kids in SAO," Marth said in disbelief.

Sasha nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Ever since the announcement about this being a death game, I've been trying to gather as many kids as I could," she explained. "You see, a lot of the younger players suffered from severe psychological trauma. I just couldn't stand by and let it happen, so I moved into this church and made it a safe place for them to stay in. I wander the streets every day to see if I can find any more kids in need, but I've never seen Yui at all."

The couple lowered their heads. "That's a shame," Yuuki said in disappointment before they heard someone knocking on the door. "We came here in hopes of finding her family. Guess we're back to square one now."

The Clearers, Yui, and Sasha went to answer and saw that it was a young woman with long grey hair.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. I'm Yulier, the vice-commander of the Aincrad Liberation Army," the woman said.

"I hope you're not here to cause trouble for what happened yesterday," Marth replied with a stern expression.

Yulier shook her head. "No, that's not it. I'm actually here to thank you for stopping them," she said, catching everyone by surprise. "I also came to ask you for your help."

They all went entered the church and into a room where they could talk privately. They sat around a table where Yulier explained the situation.

"When the guild was formed our leader, Thinker, didn't want it to turn into the dictatorship it is now," Yulier explained. "The mission was to give information and food to as many players as possible. But then the guild got too large and after some infighting, one of the players, Kibaou, became very powerful."

The Beaters gritted their teeth in frustration as they remembered how Kibaou tried to turn everyone against the beta testers in the early days of SAO.

"Kibaou and his group became even stronger as they started monopolizing all the best monster spawn points. They're completely out of control," Yulier continued. "They constantly force players to pay taxes. It was clear that Kibaou didn't care about clearing the game anymore. In order to prove everyone wrong, Kibaou sent his highest-level fighters to the front lines to fight the boss on Floor 74."

The Clearers were shocked. "So, he's the one responsible for that slaughter?" Marth said angrily.

"No way!" Yuuki added.

Yulier nodded. "Kibaou was denounced after the boss fight, and we had decided to remove him from the guild," she explained. "He got desperate and trapped Thinker deep inside a dungeon."

Everyone else gasped. "Can't he teleport out or something?" Kirito asked quickly.

"No, Thinker didn't bring any crystals or weapons when he went to meet with Kibaou," Yulier replied. "Kibaou lied and said that he wanted to talk, unarmed. That was three days ago. The dungeon Thinker's trapped in is the strongest one we've ever seen. As his second-in-command I must help him. The thing is, my level's not high enough to reach him and Kibaou won't let any of the other Army members help me. When I heard that four of the top Clearers were here, I decided to ask you guys for help. Please Kirito, Marth, Yuuki, and Asuna. Help me rescue Thinker."

The Clearers made eye contact with each other for a few moments before facing the Army's vice-commander.

"We'd like to help, but we'd have to know if you're telling the truth or not," Asuna said.

"I'm sorry. I know that I'm asking a lot even though we just met, but I can't stand thinking about him being trapped in that dungeon all alone," Yulier replied with tears in her eyes.

"It's alright, Mommy. Miss Yulier's been telling the truth the whole time," Yui said suddenly. "I don't know how I know, but she is."

The Beaters let out a chuckle. "Well, that's good enough for me," Kirito said. "After all, I'd rather trust her and regret it, than not try at all."

"Same with me. Everything will be fine," Marth added. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen? We don't come back at all?"

If looks could kill, Asuna would've murdered the Dark Swordsman as she glared angrily at him. "Don't even joke about that. This is a serious matter," Asuna said angrily.

Marth quickly raised his hands in defense. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Yuuki giggled. "Looks like someone's on borrowed time. Be more careful next time, babe."

The Lightning Flash sighed in defeat. "Whatever. If you two are okay with going then I guess we'll help," Asuna said.

"So will I," Yuuki added.

"Thank you," Yulier replied while wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know what it's like when you want to save someone you care about. I only hope that we're strong enough to help you," Asuna said.

Kirito had told Yui to wait for them at the church, but Yui insisted that she goes with them. Her parents ended up reluctantly allowing her to come.

**Later**

Marth, Yuuki, Kirito, Asuna, Yui and Yulier had entered a Hidden Dungeon that was under the Black Iron Palace. Yui was smiling as she rode on her father's shoulders. The players that could fight had their weapons equipped.

"I never would've thought that a dungeon would be beneath the Town of Beginnings," Asuna said as they walked to the stairs to enter.

"Yeah, and this was definitely not in the beta test either," Marth added.

"I think the dungeon expands as more Floors are cleared," Yulier guessed. "Although, I don't know how it unlocked. It must've been when you guys cleared a certain Floor or something. Kibaou probably wanted to keep this place all to himself too."

"Makes sense. Having access to good spawns can get you a lot of money," Kirito replied.

"While that is true, the monsters here are very high level, around level 60 or so, which means Kibaou wouldn't be able to hunt here so much," Yulier said before they saw the flight of stairs that descended below. "This is the entrance to the dungeon."

Yui had gotten off Kirito's shoulders and was holding her mother's hand. "Don't worry about me. I'm not scared at all," she told her family reassuringly.

Yuuki cracked a grin. "Shouldn't be too surprised. Yui's a lot tougher than she looks."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah. She'll make an excellent swordswoman one day," he agreed.

They walked down the stairs into a long hallway. Yulier stood back so she could track Thinker's position, so did Asuna so she could watch after Yui. After the group went deep into the dungeon, they were attacked by a horde of giant toads, causing the Beaters to smirk.

"Guess that's our que," Marth said as he and Kirito drew their dual swords.

They let out a small battle cry as they ran at the monsters and started to cut them down. Asuna held Yui in a protective manner while the child was giggling from watching her father and uncle cut through the horde of monsters.

"I feel like I should apologize," Yulier said as she faced Asuna. "Those two are fighting on their own. Shouldn't we help them?"

The Lightning Flash shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Believe it or not, they actually enjoy doing this," Asuna replied. "Sometimes they even compete with each other too."

As if on que, Marth said, "C'mon, Kirito. I bet I can kill more monsters than you!"

"We'll see about that!" the Black Swordsman replied.

Asuna glanced at Yuuki, who was shaking with anticipation. "No fair!" Yuuki exclaimed. "I wanna fight too!"

The Absolute Sword then drew her sword and joined the battle.

"That didn't take long," Asuna mused. "Yuuki hates being left on the sidelines, especially when Marth's the one fighting."

Yulier simply shrugged and checked Thinker's position on her map. "Thinker hasn't moved at all. He must be in a Safe Zone," she said. "Hopefully we can use a Teleport Crystal there and get him out of here."

The Beaters and Yuuki had finished killing all the monsters and sheathed their swords. "I'm sure I killed more monsters than you two," Kirito said. "I guess that means I win."

"No way. I killed more toads than you, so I win," Marth argued.

"You're both wrong!" Yuuki protested. "I killed the most monsters, so I win!"

The others simply watched as the trio argued over who won their little aggro contest.

"Are they always like this?" Yulier asked nervously.

"Pretty much," Asuna answered calmly. "They like to mess with each other like that."

The trio stopped their argument and rejoined the group. "Hey Asuna. Look what we got," Kirito said before he brought out a frog leg, much to Asuna's disgust. "Think you can cook it later?"

"Not on your life!?" the Lightning Flash shouted angrily before grabbing the meat from her husband's hand and throwing it far away. The meat shattered when it hit the floor.

"What the hell was that for?" Kirito asked as he brought out all the other frog legs in his storage. "What am I going to do with all of these?"

The couple argued as Asuna threw away all of the frog meat, ignoring her husband's protests. Marth, Yuuki and Yulier all laughed as Asuna tried forcing one frog leg down Kirito's throat, which Yui commented on. They decided to move out to continue searching for Thinker. Soon they saw a white light at the end of the hall.

"Hey, it's a Safe Zone," Yuuki said.

The Beaters used their Searching skill and told the group that a male player with brown hair was inside.

"That's Thinker," Yulier said before running towards the Safe Zone.

"Hold on! It might be dangerous!" Marth exclaimed before he and the others ran after her.

"Thinker!" Yulier cried out.

"Yulier!" Thinker exclaimed while waving his arms, but in warning. "The corridor's rigged. Get out of here!"

As soon as he said that, Kirito detected a monster named Fatal Scythe that was hidden near the wall.

"Watch out!" Kirito shouted as he sprinted over to the Army vice-commander.

The Black Swordsman was barely able to grab Yulier in time to stop her from getting hit by a giant scythe. The corridor started to glow blue as Kirito saw a large figure wrapped in a navy-blue cloak float to another part of the hall. The Beater drew his swords and went after it, with Marth and Yuuki close behind, their weapons drawn as well.

"Yulier. Take Yui to the Safe Zone and wait for us there," Asuna said.

"Okay," Yulier replied before grabbing Yui, who didn't want to go. "C'mon, we need to hurry."

Once the two were in the Safe Zone, Asuna drew her rapier and went to join her husband and friends. The boss looked like the grim reaper. It had a skull for a face and where its HP gauge would've been, there a red sign that said "Unknown."

"Asuna, you need to get Yui out of here while Marth and I distract it," Kirito commanded. "I can't see its data with my ID skill so it might be something as strong as monsters from Floor 90."

"Yuuki, you need to go with them," Marth added. "Kirito and I can buy you a couple minutes. Use a Teleport Crystal and leave now!"

"There's no way I'm leaving you," Asuna replied.

"Me neither!" Yuuki protested. "We're a team, remember? I'm not going anywhere!"

"This isn't up for debate!" Kirito exclaimed. "Get out of here now!"

Asuna turned towards Yui and the Army members, seeing the worried look on Yui's face. "Get Yui out of here now. We'll catch up later."

"No!" Yulier refused. "We can't just leave you all here!"

"We'll be fine!" Yuuki reassured. "This thing is toast!"

The Army members hesitantly grabbed their Teleport Crystals and prepared to warp out. The Fatal Scythe swung its weapon at Kirito, who blocked it with Asuna, but they were knocked off their feet and struggled to get up. Both of their HP were reduced by half. The boss wasn't done yet as it then attacked the Dark Swordsman and Absolute Sword, who also blocked it together, but were knocked off their feet as well.

"Ow," Marth said. He and Yuuki's HP were also reduced by half their maximum amount. "This thing's really strong." He tried to get up but quickly fell back to the ground.

"Marth!" Yuuki exclaimed in worry, but she couldn't get up either.

"No Yui! Come back!" Thinker exclaimed as the girl ran to her family the precise moment he and Yulier teleported away.

The Clearers watched helplessly as Yui got between them and the boss.

"What are you doing, Yui? Get away from it!" Kirito shouted in worry as he tried to get up.

"Yui!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Don't worry Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Marth, and Auntie. Everything's going to be alright," Yui replied as the boss prepared to strike her.

The boss struck the little girl, but to the players' shock, Yui was protected by an «Immortal Object» shield.

"She's… an «Immortal Object»?" Marth struggled to say as he said the purple icon that said so briefly appear above Yui's head.

Yui started to float in the air. Her outfit changed back to the one she wore when her family first found her, and a large flaming sword appeared in her hand. She swung it at the monster, which consumed it in a large flaming sphere. The sword then disappeared as Yui floated back to the ground. The players were finally able to return to their feet and stared at the girl in awe.

"Yui. Are you alright?" Kirito asked in concern.

"Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Marth, and Auntie. I remember everything," Yui replied.

The group went into the Safe Zone to talk. It was just a plain white room with a large black rectangular stone in the middle. Yui sat on the stone and faced her "family."

"So Yui, do you know who you are now?" Asuna asked her adopted daughter.

Yui nodded. "I do," she replied. "Kirito, Asuna, Marth, Yuuki."

The Clearers were shocked that Yui called them by their actual names.

"You see, Sword Art Online is controlled by a single massive system. It is called the Cardinal System," Yui explained. "It was designed to run on its own, with no one controlling it. It is responsible for monitoring the game balance of SAO. From the monsters and drop rates, to NPC AI and quests." She faced the Dark Swordsman. "Marth. Your sword, Lunara, was created directly by the Cardinal System. It was the reason why the quest to obtain the sword was removed the moment you and your friends completed it. Cardinal found a myth about an ancient hero and used the data on it to create the quest. Its purpose was to find the person who best fits with the legend… you."

Marth's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? But that's impossible. How could I be in some old myth?"

"I'm sorry, Marth, but I don't have the answer for that. All I know is that the Cardinal System found some secret information on that particular legend, but I can't access it at all," Yui replied.

"Still… It's cool that the game thinks you're in an ancient myth," Yuuki praised as she patted her husband on the back. "I'm a little jealous."

"So how do you know all this, Yui?" Kirito asked nervously, afraid of her answer.

"I'm an AI. My program is the Mental Health Counseling Program Prototype One, codenamed Yui. It was my job to monitor the mental conditions of players and interfere when needed," Yui explained while shedding a couple tears. "I'm not real. I'm so sorry Kirito, Asuna."

She then told the quartet that for some unknown reason, the Cardinal System banned her from interacting with any of the players at the start of SAO, which didn't make any sense to her due to what her function was.

"On the day that Sword Art Online was launched, many of the players were filled with anger, fear, and grief. Some of them couldn't take it and went insane," Yui continued. "Under ordinary circumstances, my primary function would be to go to those players and help them calm down. But since the Cardinal System banned me from doing so, all I could do was watch as their conditions deteriorated. Errors filled me up and caused me to fall apart. Then, I saw four players whose mental conditions were vastly different from the others. There was joy and peace, and something more." She looked up at the Clearers. "It was you four."

They looked at the AI, stunned.

"The reason I was in that forest was because I wanted to get as close to you all as possible without being detected by the system," Yui said while crying. "I wanted to meet you all for a long time. Doesn't it seem strange for an AI to think like that? It should be impossible."

Marth simply shook his head. "No, it doesn't. I think that you've somehow developed real human emotions," he theorized. "You're not something that can be controlled anymore. You're your own person now."

"I agree," Yuuki added. "You can't be controlled anymore, Yui. You must have something you want. Tell us."

Yui paused for a moment. "What I want," she said before raising her hands towards her family, "is to stay with you forever." She started to cry. "Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Marth! Auntie!"

Her parents quickly embraced Yui with a hug.

"We'll do it. We'll stay together forever," Asuna said.

"Yeah. You're our child, not some program," Kirito added.

They stayed that way for a few seconds before they parted.

"It's too late," Yui said suddenly while touching the stone she was on, revealing a computer keyboard. "This is a GM console. It allows a Game Master to gain emergency access to the system. I used it to delete the Fatal Scythe in the corridor. Since I disobeyed the Cardinal System's orders, it thinks I'm a foreign object now. I'll end up being deleted right away."

The Clearers gasped.

"No," Yuuki said in shock.

"Is there a way around it?" Kirito asked quickly. "Maybe we can…"

Yui shook her head. "I'm sorry, but there isn't anything you can do. Mommy. Daddy. Uncle Marth. Auntie. This is goodbye."

Asuna burst into tears and embraced her daughter tightly. "No! I don't want that to happen. Stay with us," she begged. "We were just starting to be like a real family."

Yui's body started to glow golden and data started to leech from her body, prompting Kirito to grab her left hand. "No Yui! Don't go!?" the Black Swordsman exclaimed.

"Yui!?" Marth and Yuuki exclaimed as they put their hands over Kirito's.

"You four have a way of making people smile when you're together," Yui said. "Please… continue my work. Help people. Spread your happiness with others."

Asuna shook her head with her eyes closed as she held on. "No! I can't. I can't be happy without you!"

Yui let out a small giggle and brushed her hand against her mother's cheek. "Smile Mommy. For me." A tear fell from the AI's face and hit the console.

When Asuna opened her eyes, Yui was gone and a cluster of golden lights flew up before it dispersed. Overcome with grief, the Lightning Flash took a couple steps back before falling to her knees. She sobbed in despair from the loss of her daughter. Yuuki knelt down and comforted the grieving mother. The Beaters, on the other hand, gritted their teeth in anger and looked up at the ceiling.

"Cardinal! No, Kayaba and Brandon!" Marth shouted in rage.

"You both are going to find out that not everything goes your way!" Kirito exclaimed as he quickly typed on the keyboard. Marth managed to pull up another one and help his best friend.

Yuuki looked up at them curiously. "What are you two doing?" she asked.

"If we work fast enough, Marth and I may be able to use the system to save Yui," Kirito quickly explained.

"We have to hurry. We're running out of time," Marth said as the system was about to reject Yui's admin credentials.

"C'mon. C'mon," Kirito said before he and Marth were pushed away from the console by the system and landed flat on their backs on the ground. The girls quickly got up to check on their husbands.

"Are you guys alright?" Asuna asked in worry.

The Black Swordsman handed her a pendant that was a leather band tied to crystallized blue tear.

"What's this?" she asked as the duo sat up.

"We didn't have enough time to rescue Yui. All we could do was turn her program into a game object," Marth replied.

"That item… is called Yui's Heart," Kirito followed.

They gave Asuna a few more minutes to cry before they all used Teleport Crystals to get back to the Town of Beginnings. They later found Think and Yulier, who were glad that the group survived, but also wondered where Yui was. They ended up explaining what Yui was and what happened to her. Asuna had put on the pendant and looked like she'll never part with it. Thinker told them that Kibaou and his followers were now behind bars in the Black Iron Palace and that he would be reforming the Aincrad Liberation Army to be what it was originally. Satisfied that the town was safe again, the Clearers returned to Floor 22.

"Hey Kirito, Marth. Once SAO is cleared, what'll happen to Yui?" Yuuki asked curiously as they headed back to their homes.

"Already ahead of you. We had it fixed so that her program would be saved onto the memory of Kirito's NerveGear," Marth replied. "Of course, it'll be a pain to recreate her the way she was, but Kirito and I will do our best."

"Once we restore her, we'll all be a family again," Kirito followed.

Asuna had stopped walking, probably thinking about being with Yui again. The others also stopped walking and faced the K.O.B. vice-commander.

"Asuna? Are you okay?" Yuuki asked curiously.

The Lightning Flash snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. They then continued walking. Unbeknownst to the group, Yui's particles drifted passed them overhead.

"Smile Mommy," the AI said, despite the players not able to hear her.


	17. Hell's Abyss

**Chapter 16- Hell's Abyss**

**November 6th, 2024**

Marth and Kirito were fishing on a pier by the lake. They thought it was a good way for them to hang out together without the girls, who were doing their own thing together. They've been there for two hours and neither of them had caught anything. Suddenly Kirito's fishing rod started to bend, and he immediately reeled it in.

"I think I got a big one!" Kirito mused. Sadly, he found nothing on his hook. "Not again!"

Marth chuckled in amusement. "Maybe it's just invisible." Marth's rod then began twitching, prompting him to reel in. Unfortunately, his fish got away as well. "Oh, come on!" the Dark Swordsman exclaimed.

"I swear this lake is totally rigged!" Kirito spat.

"You two having trouble?" said a new voice.

The Beaters nearly jumped out of their skin as they saw an old man with glasses behind them. He wore a straw hat, a long-sleeved green shirt, black trousers and boots. He was carrying a fishing rod.

The man chuckled in amusement. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you two." He cast his fishing rod and sat next to Kirito. "My name's Nishida and I'm a fisherman, in this world anyway. Back in Japan, I was in charge of network security in a company called Toto High Speed Internet."

"I'm Kirito and this is my best friend, Marth."

"It's nice to meet you," Marth said. "Wait… wasn't Toto the company that…?"

Nishida nodded in confirmation. "Yup. We were in charge of network security for this game." Suddenly the fisherman got a bite on his rod and began reeling in.

"It's a big one!" Kirito said in excitement.

"Yeah," Nishida said nonchalantly. "But I've caught bigger!"

The fisherman successfully reeled his catch in, which was a purple fish the size of a dinner plate.

"Awesome," Marth said in awe.

"Thanks." Nishida put the fish in his inventory. "I'm good at catching them but cooking them… not so much. Oh well. What's the point if I don't have any soy sauce?"

The Beaters locked eyes and silently agreed. Kirito faced Nishida and said, "If its soy sauce you need, we can help with that."

Nishida faced them, looking shocked. "Wait, say what?!"

**That Evening**

Marth and Kirito had taken Nishida to the latter Beater's house. After explaining the situation to Asuna, she happily agreed to cook Nishida's fish. As usual, the Lightning Flash made a delicious dinner for five, with Yuuki helping her out, which got devoured in a few minutes. The five players were sitting around the coffee table, the two couples on couches while Nishida was on a recliner.

"That was an amazing meal," the older man said. "I had no idea you could get soy sauce in this world."

"Actually, I made it myself," Asuna admitted. "If you want, you can take some home with you."

"Really? Ma'am, my taste buds bow before you!"

Everyone laughed in amusement.

"Asuna's an awesome cook!" Yuuki praised. "She's the best chef in all of Aincrad!"

"I don't doubt that," Nishida replied.

"By the way, Nishida," the Lightning Flash said. "How high is your «Fishing» skill? I'm only asking because Kirito hasn't been able to catch anything yet."

"Neither has Marth," Yuuki added. "He may be a badass with a sword, but not so much with fishing rod." She, Asuna and Nishida all laughed at the joke.

Both Beaters took a sip of their tea and glared at their wives. "Well maybe we could catch something if the lakes on this Floor weren't so damn hard," Kirito rebuked.

"Actually, that's not true," Nishida explained. "As far as «Fishing» goes, the only lake on this Floor that's tough to catch anything in is the big one you two were at earlier today."

"What?!" the Darkness Duo shouted in disbelief, causing their wives to laugh at their ignorance.

"Haha! You guys were fishing at a high-level fishing zone and you didn't even know it!" Yuuki commented, making the Beaters feel embarrassed. "Talk about idiots."

"You said it," Asuna agreed.

"Why would someone design it like that?" Marth questioned the master fisherman.

"Yes! Good question!" Nishida said in excitement. "That lake happens to be the home of the king of all fish."

"Seriously?" the Clearers asked, the boys' tone had no emotion while the girls looked excited.

"Yup. We're old pals, he and I. I've had him at the end of my hook quite a few times, but my strength parameter isn't very high, so he keeps yanking my fishing rod out of my hands every time."

"Marth and Kirito have high strength stats," Yuuki chimed, causing the boys to flinch. "Maybe they can help you catch it."

"Good idea, Mrs. Yuuki," Nishida replied. "Kirito, Marth, do you two have any plans for tomorrow? I could really use your help catching my old foe."

The Darkness Duo sighed in defeat. They knew they were screwed if they refused.

"Fine," Kirito said slowly. "I'll help you catch your fish."

"I'll help too," Marth added solemnly.

Asuna and Yuuki gave their husbands a nod of approval while Nishida gave his gratitude to the Beaters.

**That Night**

Marth and Yuuki were in their bedroom at their house, both in their sleepwear. Marth was laying down and did some mock casts.

"You just had to put me on the spot like that?" the Dark Swordsman remarked.

Yuuki giggled. "C'mon, if anyone can help that man, it's you and Kirito."

Marth sighed. "I don't mind helping the guy out, but how the heck do you Switch with a fishing pole?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Yuuki laid next to her husband. "You gotta admit, Nishida's a pretty cool guy. Asuna and I were confused why you guys brought him, but I'm glad you did. It's neat that even though this is just a game, there are players trying to live normal lives here. Since we fight on the front lines, their lives have sort of become our responsibility."

"I know what you mean. All I focused on was getting stronger, so I could survive in this world. But I always helped other players whenever I could."

Yuuki got on top of the swordsman and held his face in her hands. "Everyone's expecting a lot out of you, including me. Talk about pressure, huh?"

Marth chuckled. "Yeah. I promised that I'd save everyone. No matter what it takes, I'll get you back to real world, Yuuki."

The couple cuddled before going to sleep.

**The Next Day**

Marth, Kirito, Yuuki, and Asuna were at the big lake where Nishida was hosting a fishing tournament. There was a crowd of players there who wanted to see the supposed "King of Fish". Asuna was wearing a cloak to disguise herself while the others weren't.

"Seriously?" Kirito deadpanned as he saw the crowd.

"Can you believe how many people are here?" Asuna said in awe.

"Well then!" Nishida called out eagerly. "Thank you all for your patience! Now it's time for today's main event. Kirito, Marth, let's catch us a fish."

The Darkness Duo sighed. "Let's just get this over with," Kirito said as he and Marth followed Nishida to the end of the pier.

Marth noticed Nishida baiting his hook with a red lizard. "How big is this thing supposed to be?" the Dark Swordsman questioned but Nishida didn't answer.

Suddenly Nishida's fishing pole began glowing a bright yellow. "Okay! Here we go!" Nishida cast his line far into the water.

It was silent for a few minutes as everyone waited and watched. Suddenly the end of Nishida's pole began to twitch.

"Um… shouldn't you reel it in?" Kirito suggested, noticing that the fisherman wasn't reacting.

"Not yet," Nishida replied.

The pole's twitching increased.

"Uh… Nishida," Marth said.

"Not yet." The fishing pole then bent downward. "Now!" Nishida exclaimed as his pole briefly glowed yellow and attempted to reel his catch in. "I got the sucker. Here." He held his pole out to Kirito.

"Uh… Switch," Kirito said nervously before grabbing the fishing pole with both hands. The Black Swordsman was almost dragged into the water but managed to stop himself at the edge of the pier.

"Need a hand?" Marth asked with a slight smirk.

"What does it look like?!" Kirito shouted in irritation, prompting his partner to hold the pole with him.

Together they pulled on the fishing pole with all their might. The Darkness Duo ran down the pier, using their momentum to reel the creature in.

"Look!" Yuuki exclaimed as she noticed a large shadow in the water. "It's surfacing."

The crowd all gathered for a closer look.

"I think we wore it down," Kirito said confidently. He and his partner then noticed the crowd running away, including Asuna, Yuuki and Nishida.

"Where are you guys going?" Marth demanded when the line snapped. The recoil sent him and Kirito tumbling to the ground.

"Don't tell me it got away?!" the Black Swordsman exclaimed in anger. The Darkness Duo ran to the pier.

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted. "Get out of there!"

"Run Marth!?" Yuuki shouted as well.

The Beaters looked at the duo in confusion. "From what?!" they yelled back.

Suddenly a pillar of water shot out at the end of the pier, destroying it and sending Marth and Kirito back to land. They then found a large quadruped yellow fish standing over them. It was identified as "King of Lakes" and let out a screech, prompting the duo to sprint away in fear and hide behind their wives.

"You ran away!?" Kirito shouted at Asuna angrily. "You two left us there to die!?"

"I thought partners were supposed to watch each other's backs, not run away!" Marth added in the same tone.

Both Yuuki and Asuna laughed sheepishly. The crowd then screamed in terror.

"Here it comes!?" Nishida shouted.

The Darkness Duo saw the King of Lakes running towards them.

"It can run?" Marth said, sounding almost impressed. "It's like a crazy lungfish."

"Marth!" Nishida exclaimed. "This is no time to be standing around! You and Kirito need to do something!"

"Yeah, I don't know," Kirito said casually. "We'll need to think about it."

"I agree," the Dark Swordsman added.

Asuna sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll take care of it." She cast her cloak, revealing her rapier, which she subsequently drew.

"Don't!" Nishida protested as Asuna approached the monster. "Run while you still can! Kirito, you need to save your wife!"

"Nah," was the Black Swordsman's response.

Yuuki then summoned her sword. "Mind if I join in?"

Nishida got even more worried. "Not you too! Marth, you gotta stop her!"

Marth simply rolled his eyes. "Ehh, I don't feel like it."

"What?!"

The King of Lakes got in front of the two swordswomen and lunged its jaws at them. Yuuki and Asuna quickly activated «Vorpal Strike» and «Flashing Penetrator» respectfully and thrusted their swords through the monster, killing it instantly. Marth and Kirito smiled with pride while the rest of the crowd was awestruck as the swordswomen sheathed their swords.

Suddenly a lot of male players surrounded the girls, recognizing them as the Absolute Sword and the Lightning Flash. They all praised the two, causing the girls to laugh.

"Nice job, honey." Kirito was about to approach his wife when he suddenly got a message from Heathcliff. Marth also got a message from Zelgius. They were both labeled as urgent.

**Later**

Marth and Kirito were laying on a bed at the latter's house, dressed in their gear. Asuna and Yuuki then entered the room, also dressed in their combat gear.

"You two can't mope around all day," Asuna chided. "We need to be going soon."

"We know," Kirito replied. "But it's only been two weeks."

"If they need us on the frontlines then something must've happened," the K.O.B. vice-commander said. "Why else would Heathcliff and Zelgius interrupt our vacation and contact Marth and Yuuki?"

"We know," Marth said slowly.

"We should at least go hear them out," Yuuki said. "It must have something to do with the Floor 75 Boss."

"Probably. Aincrad has 100 floors, with the quarter Floor Bosses being way stronger than any of the other Floor Bosses."

The group then left the cabin and headed for the Warp Gate. Nishida met them there to give his farewells. Both couples were holding hands.

"So, I guess this is goodbye?" Nishida said.

"Looks that way," Kirito replied. "I know we didn't get to spend much time together, but it was fun."

"Yeah, well, it was an honor and a privilege. Actually, before I met you all, I couldn't imagine what the folks trying to clear the game were like. You might as well be from another planet. Being trapped here for two years… even if I got out of here alive… I don't know if I could go back to my old job, my old life. Maybe deep down… I had given up hope on ever leaving this game. I thought having a fishing pole in my hands was the best thing for me. Pretty sad, huh?"

Marth shook his head. "No, it's not…"

"I know what you mean," Asuna said suddenly. "I used to feel the same way. I felt lost and hopeless. Every night I would cry myself to sleep. It felt like every day here was another one lost from my real life. So, I'd cry… then I'd go and fight as hard as I could. All I cared about was getting stronger and clearing Floors. Then one day… I found three certain people taking a nap in the shade. I was so mad."

Marth and Kirito scratched their cheeks sheepishly while Yuuki just smiled from the memory.

"I told them that they shouldn't be wasting their time like that. I'll never forget what two of them said, that it was Aincrad's best season and that today's weather was at its optimal settings, and that it would be a waste to a dungeon on such a beautiful day. So, I tried lying down too and you know what, I slept like a baby. When I woke up… it was evening and they were giving me the weirdest looks. And by them, I mean Kirito, Yuuki and Marth. Anyway, we formed a party and I found out something. Even in a world like this, they were really living. They weren't losing a day in the real world. They were gaining a day… here. I kept thinking about Kirito every time I fell asleep and I stopped having nightmares."

Asuna's eyes began to water. "I began looking forward to seeing him again. For the first time, I was glad that I came here to this world." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Kirito is everything to me. He's what the last two years were about. The reason I put that NerveGear on was so I could meet him. You're still alive, Nishida. There must be something to live for here."

Nishida cracked a smile. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Life here isn't so bad. In fact, it's pretty darn good. Safe travels to you all."

"Next time we meet, let's go fishing," Marth added.

"Yeah," Kirito agreed.

"Take care," Yuuki said.

"Teleport: Granzam!" the Clearers said together. Blue light surrounded them as they warped away.

**Later**

The group was at the K.O.B. Headquarters where Heathcliff and Zelgius explained what happened.

"The recon team was nearly wiped out?!" The Beaters said in shock.

"Correct. They were on a scouting mission for the next boss fight," Heathcliff explained. "It had about twenty members which were taken from a couple different guilds."

"They found the boss room without suffering any casualties, but when half of them went into the center of the room, the doors suddenly closed which cut off their escape route and from the rest of the party," Zelgius added.

The dual-wielders thought back to the fight with Gleam Eyes. "Was it an «Anti-Crystal Zone»?" Marth asked nervously.

Zelgius nodded grimly. "It was. The remaining party members tried to get the doors opened but were unable to," he continued. "After about five minutes or so, the doors finally opened, but the room was empty. No one was there, the players or the boss."

The quartet gasped. "No way?! Seriously?" Kirito exclaimed in shock.

"It is now everyone's top priority to clear the game. We're going to gather the biggest group we can muster and attack the boss," Heathcliff said. "As some of the top players in the game, we need you four now more than ever. Are you with us?"

The four of them nodded. "I can speak for all of us that we'll help as best as we can," Kirito replied. "But I'm only going to say this once. Asuna's safety is my number one priority. If things start to look bad in there, I'm going to focus on protecting her. That isn't negotiable."

"I have something to say as well," Marth added. "Yuuki's safety will be my priority too. If things go south, I'm going to protect her."

The co-commanders smirked. "A person who has something to protect makes a strong ally," Zelgius said. "I'll be expecting a good fight from you both. It'll take a couple hours to collect our forces. Use that time to prepare as best as you can. I have a bad feeling that not everyone in this raid will be coming back alive."

The K.O.B. council left the room to gather the troops. Marth and Yuuki also left to go prepare for the raid, leaving Kirito and Asuna behind. Kirito was by one of the windows while Asuna sat on the table.

"I'm bored," Asuna said. "When is this boss raid gonna start already?"

Meanwhile Kirito looked conflicted, something the Lightning Flash noticed.

"What's with you?" Asuna asked.

"Asuna, there's something I want to ask you," Kirito said, "but I don't want you getting mad at me. Instead of going to the boss fight, could you please stay here?"

"Why would you ask me that?"

"You heard Heathcliff and Zelgius," Kirito explained. "We won't be able to use Crystals there so there's no telling what could happen. I'm scared… scared that we'll…"

"So you want to go someplace dangerous and have me just stay here, where it's safe?" Asuna said bitterly.

The Black Swordsman looked at the ground guiltily, tightening his grip on the window frame as the Lightning Flash approached him.

"Do you know what I'd do if you died, Kirito?" Asuna said firmly. "I'd kill myself."

Kirito gasped in shock. "What?"

"I would never forgive myself if I stayed behind and something happened to you," Asuna explained. "So, what would be the point in living?"

Kirito looked up at his wife. "I'm sorry. I'm losing my nerve, is all." He then grabbed Asuna's hand. "Look, all I want to do is run away with you, Asuna. I don't care if we don't clear the game. I just want to live with you in our cabin in the woods."

Asuna's eyes filled with longing. "It'd be nice if we could. Be together every day, forever. Have you thought about the real world, about what's happening to our real bodies while we're trapped in this world?"

The black-haired Beater gasped.

"Remember a few weeks after the game launched?" Asuna questioned. "Most of the players suddenly went offline and stayed that way for a few hours. That must've been when all our bodies were transferred to hospitals in the real world."

"If that's where we all are right now," Asuna continued grimly, "in hospitals, barely being kept alive by machines, it's hard to believe we can last like that for much longer."

"Then that means it doesn't matter whether we clear the game or not," Kirito replied. "Everyone here is on a time limit and once that's up, it's all over."

Asuna then embraced the Black Swordsman and sobbed. Kirito wrapped his arms around her in comfort and rubbed her back.

"I don't care about this stupid game," Asuna declared. "I just want to be with you. I want us to go on real dates, and to really get married, and grow old together."

"We've got no choice," Kirito said. "We have to keep fighting. There's too much at stake now. We need to return to the real world."

**Later**

Kirito and Asuna had rejoined Marth and Yuuki. The quartet had just arrived at the plaza of Collinia on Floor 75. They ended up getting stared at by most of the raid group.

"Hey there!" a familiar voice cried out from behind the trio.

They turned and saw that it was Klein and Agil. Agil was now wearing a green overcoat, a silver chestplate, pauldron and gloves, and had a new double-edged axe strapped to his back.

"So you guys are coming too?" Yuuki asked the duo.

"Of course, we are. I shut down my shop to come help," Agil replied. "You guys are looking at the most generous player in the game."

Kirito put his hands on his waist. "Well if you're so generous, then I guess we can take you off the drop list," he said teasingly.

"Hey now! Let's not be too hasty!" Agil said quickly.

They all shared a laugh before the K.O.B. co-commanders appeared. Heathcliff took out a Corridor Crystal and activated it. "Let's move," he ordered.

Everyone entered the portal created from the crystal and found themselves at the entrance to the boss room.

"Does anyone else feel a bad vibe in here?" Asuna asked nervously.

"Yeah," Kirito agreed, feeling the tension in the air already.

Most of the players quickly equipped their best gear for the fight ahead. Both Heathcliff and Zelgius stood in front of the boss door, monitoring the players.

"Is everyone ready?" Zelgius asked after a few minutes. Everyone nodded. "Good. The Knights of the Blood Oath will be the ones distracting the boss and blocking its attacks. Everyone else needs to stay back and figure out its attack patterns. Once you do, strike whenever you get an opening."

"I won't lie to you," Heathcliff followed. "This will be a difficult battle. But I believe that together we will prevail against the odds. For our day of liberation!"

Marth felt very uneasy. He nearly jumped when Yuuki grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Everything's going to be fine," she assured. "I won't let anything happen to you. Just make sure you protect me too."

The Dark Swordsman smiled. "You know I will."

They all watched as the K.O.B. commanders opened the doors.

"None of you guys better die in there," Kirito told his friends.

"Same to you, buddy," Klein replied, readying his katana.

"The drops here will make me a fortune. I'm not going to miss out on that," Agil followed as he gripped his axe.

"You know me, I'm always careful," Marth said.

"And I don't plan on letting you all have all the fun," Yuuki added.

Once the doors opened completely, Heathcliff ordered everyone to charge. They all let out a battle cry as they ran into the boss room. True to what the commanders said, as soon they reached the center of the room, the doors closed and disappeared, cutting off any chance of escape.

Marth looked around and saw that the room was huge. They were standing on a stone platform and there were others scattered around them. The boss, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Nothing's happening," Yuuki said, not lowering her guard. "Where's it hiding?"

Asuna, who was listening very carefully, heard snake-like rattling above her. "It's above us!" she exclaimed.

Everyone looked up and saw a huge skeletal centipede-like monster on the ceiling. It had two arms that looked like blades from a scythe. The players were quickly able to ID the boss.

"It's the Skull…" Klein started.

"Reaper," Marth and Kirito finished together.

The boss let out a screech as five HP bars appeared near its head. The Reaper then let itself fall down towards the players.

"Get away from it!? Spread out now!" Zelgius quickly ordered.

Most of the players did what they were told, but two of them stared at the boss frozen in fear.

"Don't just stand there!" Kirito exclaimed at them as he and his friends were a good distance from the boss's landing area. "Run away while you can!"

The two players turned and ran towards them, but the Skull Reaper landed on its feet behind them. Red light pulsed through the air as the boss swung its scythe-like arms at the two players. The duo was knocked into the air, prompting Klein and Asuna to try to catch them. Everyone looked in shock as the two players shattered before they reached their would-be saviors.

"Th-that was one hit!" Klein said in disbelief.

"Man, we're so dead!" Agil replied, his tone filled with fear.

The Skull Reaper let out another screech as it charged towards a lone player. The boss tried to attack him, but Heathcliff blocked it with his shield. Instead of going after the commander for stopping it, the Skull Reaper instead tried to attack its original target but this time Zelgius blocked it with his shield. Seeing that both of its attacks were thwarted, the Reaper circled around the platform very quickly to look for another victim.

"It's moving so fast that we can't even hit the damn thing," Agil said.

The Beaters charged at the boss as it swung its arm to strike a lance user.

"Watch out!?" Marth shouted as he and Kirito jumped in front of the other player.

The Darkness Duo blocked the attack by holding their dual swords in an x-manner, but the sheer force of the attack forced the duo to their knees and the scythe slightly embedded itself in their right shoulders.

"It's too strong," Kirito said as he and Marth struggled to parry the attack.

The Reaper swung its other scythe at the helpless dual-wielders but the K.O.B. co-commanders came to their rescue by blocking the attack with their shields. Asuna and Yuuki then helped the Darkness Duo push back the other one by using a Sword Skill.

"If we all block it together, we have a chance," Asuna said as she helped her husband to his feet.

"C'mon Marth," Yuuki said as she supported her husband. "We can do this."

"Alright. Let's go," Marth replied.

The Skull Reaper charged at the group. The co-commanders blocked one scythe together with their shields, and the quartet dodged its follow-up attack.

"Me, Marth, Yuuki, Asuna and the commanders will deal with boss's scythes," Kirito started.

"Everyone else needs to flank it and attack," Marth finished as he, his wife and his friends struck the boss with a Sword Skill.

"You heard them," Agil said as he and two others charged at the boss's side. Another player used a Sword Skill and stabbed the boss in the side.

"Keep it still, guys!?" Agil continued as he got close to the boss.

Unfortunately, the Skull Reaper changed its targets to the axe-user and his comrades and hit them with its tail. Agil was wounded in his right arm, but the other two players were killed.

"You bastard!?" Agil shouted angrily at the boss.

The Reaper let out a loud screech. The dual-wielders looked in shock as all the attacks the players landed only took out a sliver of the boss's first HP bar.

" _No way. It took all our attacks like they were nothing,_ " Marth thought. " _How are we going to beat this thing?_ "

"Kirito, Marth, you guys ready?" Asuna asked, snapping the Dark Swordsman from his thoughts.

"Yeah," Kirito replied in resolve.

"We can't quit, no matter what," Marth followed.

"That's the spirit," Yuuki encouraged.

The quartet then charged at the boss. The clash of weapons echoed across the room as the Reaper moved past all the players as they hit it whenever it got close. It swung at the Heathcliff and Zelgius again, but they quickly blocked the attacks with their shields once more. Klein and Agil let out a battle cry as they charged at the boss. The samurai was able to get under the monster and struck its underside with a Sword Skill, his katana glowing red, causing it to screech in pain. Agil roared as he struck the monster's back with a Sword Skill, his axe glowing green.

The boss screeched again and lunged at Kirito and Asuna with its scythes. The couple quickly grinded their swords against it, blocking it. The couple screamed as they dodged the Reaper's assault and knocked it back with a Sword Skill. The boss quickly recovered and tried to attack again, but Asuna and Kirito crossed their swords together and each activated another Sword Skill and struck the boss again.

The Skull Reaper then lunged its scythe at the couple, but Marth jumped overhead and slammed the scythe down with his swords, forcing it to miss.

"Switch!" Marth shouted as Yuuki hurried past him.

"Leave it to me." Purple flames engulfed Yuuki's sword as she activated «Mother's Rosario». She used her Sword Skill to stab the boss multiple times in the chest, knocking it back.

Marth then jumped high in the air as he activated «Starburst Stream» with a howl, his dual swords glowing blue. He began slashing at the boss's chest at a rapid rate, making large red gashes as blue streams escaped from his blades. When he readied the skill's final hit, Marth jumped high and howled as he brought Light Repulser down on the Skull Reaper's head.

**To be continued**


	18. End Of Aincrad

**Chapter 17- End of Aincrad**

**November 7th, 2024**

The Assault Team were still fighting the Skull Reaper and were slowly wearing it down. It had killed a couple of players and lunged at Zelgius, who easily blocked it with his shield before pushing the scythe back with his sword. Kirito and Asuna worked as a pair and fought as one, as did Marth and Yuuki. Klein fought alongside his guild and struck the boss's side. The K.O.B. co-commanders then noticed that the Skull Reaper had only a sliver of HP left in its final HP bar.

"It's now or never. Everyone, attack now!" Heathcliff ordered.

Everyone charged and relentlessly attacked the boss, which couldn't defend itself due to fatigue. After a lot of weapons clashing, the boss's HP hit finally zero and it shattered into polygons. Most of the players collapsed from exhaustion. Kirito and Asuna had their backs together. Marth and Yuuki sat near them and were in the same position. Their swords were lying on the ground, except the dual-wielders' secondary swords, which were in their sheaths. Agil laying on the ground while Klein sat down with his guild.

After a few moments rest, the samurai decided to ask the inevitable. "What were our casualties?"

Kirito opened his map to check. "We lost fourteen players," he replied in a grim tone.

"That many? No way," Agil said in disbelief.

Klein gritted his teeth. "And we still have twenty-five floors left to clear," he said.

"I don't even know if we'll be able to make it that far," Marth added.

The Darkness Duo looked around and saw something strange. Out of all of the all players here, only Heathcliff and Zelgius were still on their feet and their HP wasn't in the yellow zone. Marth finally managed to put two-and-two together as he remembered his duel with Zelgius. He eyed Kirito and they both thought the same thing. They were about to do something incredibly risky, and if they were wrong, they'll have a lot of explaining to do. Marth and Kirito slowly grabbed Lunara and Elucidator respectfully.

Asuna felt Kirito move and looked over her shoulder towards him. "Is something wrong?" she asked her husband.

Yuuki also felt her husband moving and glanced over at him. "What are you doing, Marth?"

Neither answered as Kirito and Marth quickly charged at Heathcliff and Zelgius respectfully. They activated «Rage Spike» and caught the commanders' off-guard. The shield-users tried to block it with their shields, but the Beaters managed to slip past them and hit the players directly. However, a purple «Immortal Object» shield prevented their attacks from reaching the K.O.B. commanders, with the notice appearing overhead. The attacks also pushed Heathcliff and Zelgius back a few feet. Everyone, minus the commanders, was shocked.

Asuna and Yuuki quickly got up and ran to the duo. "Kirito. Marth. What the hell are you two doing?" Asuna asked before she saw the notice above her superiors before it quickly disappeared.

The Beaters sheathed their swords as they had just proved their hunch was right. Everyone stood up and looked in confusion.

"They're Immortal Objects? Heathcliff, Zelgius, what's going on here?" Yuuki demanded.

"We can answer that. The reason why Heathcliff and Zelgius's HP never entered the yellow zone was because they're protected by the system," Kirito explained. "It wasn't because of their «Unique Skill», the «Divine Blade»."

Marth nodded in agreement. "Something's been bugging both me and Kirito ever since SAO began. We were always wondering where _those two_ were as they watched what was going on and controlled everything," the Dark Swordsman took over. "It's actually very simple. It's basic psychology, something that every kid knows about. There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG. Am I right, Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell?"

Everyone, except the Beaters and the co-commanders, gasped in shock.

"I am curious, how'd you two manage to figure it out?" Heathcliff asked in the same voice he used when he explained the rules of SAO.

"Marth and I first noticed something odd during our duel with you and Zelgius," Kirito explained. "The move you both made that turned the tables on us was way too fast to be something a player could do on their own."

Zelgius smirked and nodded. "Heathcliff and I were fools to think that you two wouldn't see something like that. The thing is, you and Marth were so strong and so fast that the only way we could win was to activate the system's «Assist Mode»," he replied, shocking everyone else, except the Beaters. "They are correct. I am Brandon Lowell, and my partner, Heathcliff, is none other than Akihiko Kayaba."

"The two of us also happen to be the final boss of this game. I hope that isn't too surprising," Heathcliff/Kayaba revealed, shocking everyone else even more.

Asuna grabbed her husband's arm for comfort, as did Yuuki with hers. "So the final boss happens to be the two strongest players in the entire game," Kirito said. "Isn't that a little cliché?"

"Actually, me and Brandon both like that kind of twist," Heathcliff replied. "The truth is that we both believed that you and Marth would stand before us at the end of the game."

Marth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" the Dark Swordsman asked.

"You see «Dual-Wielding» is a rare skill. It's meant to be given to the player with the fastest reaction time," Zelgius/Brandon explained. "That player is supposed to be the hero of this story and is to rise up and fight the Shadow King. But neither Kayaba nor I could've predicted that two players would tie for the skill. You both displayed a power greater than we had ever expected. It's all these unexpected twists that makes MMORPGs so fun to play."

A K.O.B. member gripped his sword tightly. "Our loyalty… our hope," he said. "How dare you two take advantage of that?!"

The K.O.B. tried to attack Heathcliff, but the latter simply opened his menu and used the system to paralyze the player. Heathcliff and Zelgius then proceeded to do the same with all the other players, except Kirito and Marth.

"Kirito," Asuna said as the paralysis caused her and everyone else to fall.

"Marth," Yuuki said as she was also paralyzed.

Kirito and Marth each knelt beside their wives and held them in their arms. "Are you two going to kill all of us here and cover it up?" Kirito asked the newly revealed GMs.

"No. That would be unfair on our part," Heathcliff replied. "What we're actually going to do is head for the Ruby Palace on the final Floor and wait for you all there."

Zelgius nodded. "It's disappointing that we have to leave you all so soon," he took over. "Kayaba and I had spent a lot of time developing the Knights of the Blood Oath and other powerful players." He shrugged. "Oh well. Guess these things can't be helped. You're all strong, so you'll reach us, eventually."

The K.O.B. co-commanders faced the dual-wielders. "Before we head out, Kirito and Marth, I feel like we should reward you two for discovering our identities," Zelgius offered. "We'll give you another shot."

"Another shot at what?" Kirito asked.

"To fight us one-on-one. It'll be a rematch for last time," Heathcliff explained. "We fight right here and now, and Brandon and I will de-activate our immortality."

"If you two manage to defeat both of us, you'll clear the game, and everyone can log out of here," Zelgius added. "No strings attached. So, what do you two say about that?"

The Beaters' eyes widened at the possibility of ending the game right now.

"Don't do it, Kirito," Asuna pleaded. "We should fall back and regroup."

"Yeah, Marth," Yuuki agreed. "It's too risky."

Marth and Kirito thought about everything they witnessed in SAO. From the very beginning of the game and all the deaths they saw along the way, like Diavel and Corvatz, to Yui being deleted from the system. They both gritted their teeth in frustration.

"We have to," Kirito replied, much to the girls' shock. He looked at his best friend and saw that he agreed. The Black Swordsman then turned his head towards the GMs. "All right. Let's finish this."

"Kirito! No!" Asuna protested.

"For once in your life, Marth, don't fight!" Yuuki pleaded.

Marth looked at his wife with sorrow. "I'm sorry, Yuuki, but Kirito and I can't run away from this," he explained. "If we have the opportunity to end this world and free everyone, then we're going to take it."

Yuuki's eyes filled with worry. "You better not die, you hear me? I won't forgive you if you do."

"Don't you die either, Kirito," Asuna added.

Kirito looked her in the eyes. "Don't worry. We'll win and end this world," he assured.

"Okay. I believe in you, Kirito," Asuna said.

"Good luck, Marth," Yuuki added.

Kirito and Marth each laid the respective girl down gently and stood up. They then drew their dual swords and walked towards their opponents.

"Don't do it, Kirito and Marth!" Agil begged.

"Kirito! Marth!" Klein exclaimed in worry.

The Darkness Duo stopped when they were a few feet from their respective opponents.

"Agil. Thanks for helping all the players in the game since it started," Kirito said before facing the axe-wielder and saw the shocked look on his face. "Yeah, Marth and I knew all along. You may act like you're all about the money, but we knew that you spent it all on helping all the intermediate players get stronger."

The Dark Swordsman faced his samurai friend. "And Klein, I can speak for both me and Kirito that we're sorry that we bailed on you that day," Marth said, his eyes filled with regret. "I think about it all the time."

"Ditto," Kirito added.

Tears fell down the red-head's face. "Damn it, Kirito and Marth. Don't you guys dare apologize now," Klein replied in frustration. "I won't accept it! I won't accept it until we're all back in the real world and you two are buying me dinner, God damn it!?"

"It's a deal," Kirito said before he gave the samurai a thumbs-up. "We'll see you on the other side."

Kirito looked at Asuna for a few moments before facing Heathcliff. "If it's okay. I have a final request," the Black Swordsman said.

"What is it?" Heathcliff asked.

"I don't plan on going down to easily, but if I do die, I want your word that you and Brandon will fix it so that Asuna can't kill herself," Kirito replied.

Heathcliff cracked a small smile. "As you wish."

Zelgius then looked at his opponent. "Do you have a final request as well?"

Marth nodded. "I do. If I die here, I want you to make sure Yuuki can't kill herself either."

"Very well," Zelgius replied.

Both girls protested for the Darkness Duo to not do that, but it was all in vain. Heathcliff and Zelgius then changed their status to "Mortal" and lowered their HP to be equal with Kirito and Marth's. They then drew their swords from their shields and readied for battle.

"Kirito!?" Asuna shouted.

"Marth!?" Yuuki cried out.

The Darkness Duo and the creators of SAO readied for the final battle.

_"This isn't just an in-game duel. It's a fight to the death,"_ Marth thought before tightly gripping his swords. _"That's fine by me, because I'm gonna kill you, Brandon."_

Marth and Kirito made the first move by charging at Zelgius and Heathcliff respectfully. The dual-wielders swung their right swords at their opponents which the latter blocked with their swords. The Beaters struck both their swords against the GMs' shields. Zelgius and Heathcliff quickly counter-attacked by swinging their swords at Marth and Kirito's heads, respectfully, which the dual wielders dodged just in time before continuing their assault. The duelists constantly clashed with sword and shield.

_"Brandon can block whatever I throw at him. It makes sense because he and Kayaba designed the_ _«_ _Dual-Wielding_ _»_ _skill, so they know all its combos,"_ Marth thought. _"Kirito and I will have to beat them with our own power, without using any of the Sword Skills."_ He jumped over Zelgius and tried to strike him from behind, but the shield user quickly turned around and blocked his attacks. _"Faster. I have to go faster."_

The speed of the dual-wielders' relentless assaults actually stirred up the dust blocked the view of the other players for a few seconds. During that time the GMs' managed to nick their opponents' cheeks with their swords. The Beaters lost their focus for a moment and let out a battle cry as they activated the 27-hit combo «Dual-Wielding» Sword Skill, «Eclipse», which caused Zelgius and Heathcliff to smirk. While the dual-wielders quickly realized their mistake, they couldn't cancel a Sword Skill once it activated so they had no choice but to go with it.

Marth and Kirito unleashed a flurry of high-speed slashes, with a few spins, however Zelgius and Heathcliff blocked all their attacks with their shields. Soon the Darkness Duo performed the 26th hit, which was a spin in the air while also swinging both swords and struck the shields again.

_"I'm sorry, Yuuki,"_ Marth thought in regret. _"Please… keep living."_

Marth and Kirito howled as they performed «Eclipse»'s final hit, a forward thrust with the left sword. When the twin swords struck the shields, the tips of both swords broke off, filling both teens with shock.

"It's over Marth/Kirito," Zelgius and Heathcliff said to their respective opponent as they prepared to land the final blow on the defenseless dual-wielders.

Both Game Masters promptly activated a Sword Skill and brought their swords down on the Beaters while they were in their post-motion delay. Suddenly, Yuuki and Asuna got in front of the respective teen, shielding them with their own bodies. Marth and Kirito quickly dropped their swords, with their secondary ones shattering before hitting the ground, and caught the respective girl in their arms.

The Darkness Duo watched helplessly as both Yuuki and Asuna's HP were reduced to zero.

"Asuna. No… you can't," Kirito said as his wife's body started to glow blue.

Despite everything, Asuna gave the Black Swordsman one final smile. "I'm sorry, Kirito. Goodbye," she replied before her body shattered and her rapier fell towards the ground.

The Absolute Sword's body began glowing blue as well.

"No… Yuuki," Marth said in shock.

Yuuki gave her husband a weak smile. "Sorry, Marth. Looks like I won't be able to see how this ends. Don't give up the fight. See you around." Her body then shattered into polygons and her sword fell to the ground.

Kirito and Marth, overcome with grief, tried in vain to grab the fragments but they quickly dispersed before either of them could reach them. They then fell to their knees and wept.

"Now that was unexpected," Zelgius commented.

Heathcliff nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I don't think we programmed a way for players to remove their own paralysis like that," he replied. "I guess things like this just happen sometimes."

Kirito grabbed his Elucidator and Asuna's Lambent Light while Marth grabbed his Lunara and Yuuki's Macuahuitl before both Beaters stood back up. The Darkness Duo were still filled with grief and swung their swords with little effort. Heathcliff and Zelgius easily dodged their weak attacks before letting out a sigh of disappointment. The GMs easily knocked Elucidator and Lunara out of Kirito and Marth's hands respectfully and stabbed them both in the chest with their swords, which the Beaters chose not to block. They just watched as their HP slowly decreased to zero.

_"It's over. I'm sorry everyone. We failed,"_ Marth thought.

Right when the Dark Swordsman's HP entered the red zone, he heard something unexpected.

"What did I tell you?" Yuuki called out in Marth's head. "Don't give up the fight!"

The Beaters' HP then hit zero and the system deemed them as dead. As their bodies started to become transparent, everyone else noticed a blue aura surround the Darkness Duo. They were all stunned as the duo simply refused to die.

"Not yet," Kirito started as he tightened his grip on Asuna's rapier.

"We're not done yet," Marth finished as he did the same with Yuuki's sword.

Zelgius and Heathcliff took a step back in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief. With some struggle, Marth and Kirito managed to lift their secondary swords and let out a battle cry as they lunged at their opponents, their eyes becoming yellow. Zelgius and Heathcliff secretly smiled as they were each stabbed in the chest by the teens and their HP reduced to zero.

"We did it," Kirito said in relief, staring at Asuna's rapier.

"We won," Marth followed before admiring his wife's sword. _"Thank you, Yuuki."_

All four of their bodies shattered at once and their fragments dispersed into the air. Silica, Lisbeth, Celina and everyone else that the Darkness Duo had helped saw those fragments and heard the system announce that SAO had been cleared. When Marth opened his eyes, he saw that he was right next to Kirito and that they were in the sky outside of Aincrad. Their eyes were their normal colors again. It appeared to be sunset.

"What's going on?" Marth asked.

"Let's see," Kirito replied as he opened his menu and saw that something called the "Final Phase" at 55% was displayed.

"Kirito/Marth!" two female voices called out in disbelief from behind the duo.

They turned and saw that it was none other than Asuna and Yuuki.

"Sorry. Kirito and I ended up getting ourselves killed too," Marth replied casually.

The Lightning Flash sighed. "You're both idiots. You know that?" she said before running to Kirito and hugging him.

Yuuki then hugged her husband as well. "So… did you guys win?"

"Yeah, we won."

Marth and Yuuki then kissed, as did Kirito and Asuna. After a few moments, the couples parted.

"Where are we?" the Dark Swordsman asked as he looked around.

"I don't know," Yuuki replied.

The group then looked down and saw that Aincrad was falling apart from the lower floors and working its way up. They were saddened when they saw their in-game houses fall down into the void.

"Stunning view, don't you think?" a male voice asked suddenly.

The teens turned towards the source and saw Kayaba and Brandon, in their real-life appearances, standing near them, overlooking Aincrad's destruction. Kayaba had short brown hair and brown eyes, and was wearing a white lab coat, a brown t-shirt, khaki pants, and brown shoes. Brandon had short black hair, blue eyes and wore a plaid long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and black cowboy boots.

"Akihiko Kayaba," Kirito said in awe.

"And Brandon Lowell as well," Marth added.

"The mainframe that runs Sword Art Online is at Argus headquarters, five levels below street level," Kayaba explained.

"Right now, it's deleting all of its data," Brandon took over. "In ten minutes, this world will cease to exist."

"What about the players?" Asuna asked nervously.

"There's no need to panic. The 6,147 players who managed to survive SAO till it was cleared were logged out a few seconds before the Final Phase began," Kayaba replied.

"But what about the 4,000 people who died during the game?" Marth asked.

Brandon lowered his head in defeat. "They're gone for good. No matter where you die, whether it's real or virtual, you can never come back," he explained.

"Why did you and Kayaba do this?" Kirito asked slightly frustrated. "Why'd you make SAO a death game?"

"I honestly don't remember the reason. It's been a long time since either of us had thought about it," Kayaba replied before he looked up towards the sun. "It's odd. Even before me and Brandon designed the system to create a virtual environment, we dreamed about this for a long time. A castle that wasn't bound by any natural laws. We both poured our hearts into making it come true."

Brandon nodded. "We succeeded in making our own world, and Kayaba and I got to see something that we never dreamed was possible," he took over explaining. "I don't remember when we became obsessed with it. We wanted to fly to that castle and leave the earth behind. That was our dream for a long time." He smiled and looked at the quartet. "Marth. Kirito. You two remind me of Kayaba and I were when we were your age."

Marth and Kirito's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?" Marth asked curiously.

Kayaba nodded. "I can speak for both of us that we want to believe that somewhere in another world, our castle is still standing," he said.

"Yeah. Maybe it is," Kirito replied.

More than half of Aincrad was gone, and the destruction continued.

"Anyway. Congratulations on clearing the game Kirito, Marth, Yuuki and Asuna," Brandon said before turning to face the teens. "Now then, I think it's time for us to get going. Farewell."

Brandon and Kayaba walked away and disappeared. The teens sat down as the Ruby Palace at the top of Aincrad broke apart.

"I guess this is goodbye for all of us," Kirito said after he kissed Asuna.

Asuna shook her head. "You're wrong. No matter what we'll always be together," she replied. "How about we tell each other our real names?"

Kirito cracked a smile. "All right. My name's Kazuto Kirigaya and I'm sixteen," he revealed.

"And my name's Frank Storm. I'm the same age as Kazuto," Marth said before scratching his head.

"My real name is Yuuki Konno," Yuuki added. "I'm sixteen as well."

Asuna giggled. "So you used your real name for your avatar as well. My real name is Asuna Yuuki," she replied. "You're all younger than me. I'm seventeen years old."

Kirito/Kazuto faced his in-game wife with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Asuna. I promised that I'd get you back to the real world, but I failed," he said.

The Lightning Flash gently squeezed her in-game husband's hand. "It's alright. I'm glad that I got to meet both you, Frank and Yuuki," Asuna replied. "This has been the best time I've had in my entire life. I love you, Kazuto."

Kazuto quickly hugged her and told her, "I love you too, Asuna."

Asuna returned the hug and the couple wouldn't part.

Yuuki then tapped Marth's shoulder, causing him to face her. "Hey, look on the bright side," she said, "At least we'll be together."

Marth/Frank nodded. "Always. I love you, Yuuki."

"I love you too, Frank."

Frank then leaned back and smiled. "This may sound corny, but I'll say it anyway," he said. "But may we meet again… in a better life."

As soon as he said that, white light consumed them, and their avatars faded away with the game. Frank then opened his eyes and found himself in a hospital room in the real world. He examined his right hand and saw that it was very frail and skinny due to him being on life support for so long. He sat up and took the NerveGear off his head, causing his hair to fall down, which had grown considerably long over the last two years.

"Frank! You're awake!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

Frank turned and saw his family by the door staring at him in both shock and relief.

He smiled and casually waved at them. "Hey Mom, Dad, Meg. I'm back," Frank replied.

The reunited family shared a hug as Frank remembered his two friends and the girl he loved in Aincrad. _"I hope you're all okay,"_ Frank thought. _"I'll see you again Yuuki. You too Kazuto, Asuna."_


	19. The Return

**Chapter 18- The Return**

**January 20, 2025**

More than two months have passed since Marth and Kirito beat Heathcliff and Zelgius and cleared SAO. The two were glad to see that they were both back in the real world, and so were their families. After he was cleared from the hospital, Frank's dad had immediately grounded him from playing video games for three weeks until he accepted the fact that his son being trapped in a death game wasn't entirely his fault. Frank and Kazuto were in the same hospital during the SAO Incident. A man from the government had visited them while they were recovering. He wanted to know what happened inside SAO and they told him everything they knew. In exchange for the information, the man told them the hospital Asuna and Yuuki were at, but they as well as three hundred other players, haven't woken up yet.

Frank was currently having a dream that he was in Sword Art Online at his and Yuuki's log cabin, the couple sitting on a bench. It was peaceful before the sky turned red and the house began to fall apart. Marth immediately stood up and found that Yuuki was not with him. He called out her name multiple times, but she was nowhere to be found. Frank then woke up from the nightmare and found tears in his eyes.

"I've really turned into a crybaby, haven't I, Yuuki?" he asked himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had gotten a long overdue haircut, so his hair was now back to normal.

Frank then went downstairs to the kitchen and found his sister, Meg, already eating breakfast.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up," Meg commented. She had brown hair that went down to her neck, brown eyes, and was wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and white socks. She was fifteen years old. "Did you sleep this much back in that game of yours or something?"

Frank had told his family most of what happened while he was stuck inside Sword Art Online. The government had banned all the families with SAO Survivors to not tell anyone about what happened in the incident, unless it was with other family members or fellow survivors.

"You're one to talk. Usually I have to drag you out of bed, so you could get to school on time. I'm surprised to see you awake before 10. Shouldn't you be up by 12 or something?"

"Touché," Meg replied with a smirk. "You can thank Suguha for that. She's kinda been my alarm clock ever since you got stuck in SAO. We sort of bonded over our brothers being trapped. We've become pretty close during those two years."

Frank was surprised to hear that Meg had become friends with Kazuto's sister, Suguha. Meg then explained that they grew close through learning the other's profession, kendo and soccer.

"So, what are you going to do today? Since you haven't been to school in two years, you pretty much don't do much of anything."

Frank lowered his head. "The hospital," he replied. "I'm going to see Yuuki."

"She still hasn't woken up yet?" Meg questioned, getting a no for an answer. She also noticed the sad look in her brother's eyes.

"It's all I can do for her right now. I wish I knew why she hasn't woke up in the real world," Frank said. "I hope I'll find out soon."

After breakfast, Frank put on a navy-blue long sleeve shirt, blue jeans, a black leather coat and brown square-toed cowboy boots. He then said goodbye to his sister and rode his bike to the hospital. Frank took an elevator to the floor where Yuuki's room was.

Once he entered the room, he found an unconscious Yuuki and a girl with brown hair sitting beside her. The girl wore a brown jacket, a white shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes. She looked around sixteen years old.

The girl heard Frank's entry and turned to face him. "Hello, Frank," she greeted.

"Hey, Aiko," Frank replied. "How's your little sister doing?"

Aiko knew that he was referring to Yuuki. "Still in a coma, as you can see." She grabbed her sister's left hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I knew I shouldn't have let her play that damn game first. Our parents got that NerveGear and a copy of SAO for us to share. We ended up playing a game to see who would try it first. I wish it was me that won instead of her. God knows how much she suffered while trapped in that death game."

Frank placed a hand on the grieving girl's shoulder. "I don't think Yuuki would want you to blame yourself for this. I bet she's glad it was her that was trapped and not you. Besides, knowing Yuuki, she'd tell you to stop sulking and lighten up."

Both teens laughed at the thought.

"That sounds like Yuuki, all right," Aiko said. "She's always looked at the bright side of life. No matter what happened, she always found a way to keep smiling. Thanks for coming, Frank. I know it makes Yuuki happy when you do."

"Anytime." Frank checked the time on his watch. "I should get going. I'm meeting with Kazuto to visit Asuna."

"Okay. I'll see you around then."

"Goodbye."

Frank then left the hospital room and found Kazuto just outside. He was wearing a black coat and pants, as well as black tennis shoes.

"Hey, Frank," Kazuto greeted casually.

"Hi, Kazuto. Hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Nah, I just got here." The duo entered the elevator to go to Asuna's floor. "How's Yuuki doing?"

"Still in a coma," Frank answered. Did you hear the rumor about Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell?"

Kazuto nodded. "They've been missing since SAO started and the government still hasn't found them yet," he answered. "Some people even think that they're the ones keeping Asuna, Yuuki and the other 300 players from waking up. But I'm not so sure. I doubt Kayaba and Brandon would do something like this, because it would be unfair. There's no way they would keep people hostage after SAO was cleared."

"Yeah. Whatever the case, SAO isn't over yet," Frank started as they exited the elevator.

"Not by a long shot," Kazuto finished.

They entered Asuna's hospital room and walked over to the bed. It turns out that both of her parents were business people. Kazuto held Asuna's hand and gently squeezed it.

"Asuna," he muttered.

They then heard the door open and two people wearing suits come in. The first was a man they knew as Shouzou Yuuki, Asuna's father. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Kazuto. Frank," he said. "Sorry if I startled you both. I didn't know you two were here, but thanks for coming."

Frank shook his head dismissively while Kazuto let go Asuna's hand. "You're welcome, Mr. Yuuki," Frank replied.

"I hope you don't mind us coming here to visit," Kazuto said.

Mr. Yuuki set the flowers on a nightstand near his daughter. "Don't worry about it. You're both welcome here anytime," he told the teenagers. "I know that your visits make Asuna happy. Especially when you come, Kazuto."

The other person was a young man wearing glasses and approached the group. "I don't mean to interrupt but this visit must be brief sir," he told his boss. "You're a busy man after all."

"Uh, who are you?" Frank asked the newcomer.

"That's right. You all haven't met before," Mr. Yuuki said before addressing his employee. "This man is Sugou. He's in charge of my company's R&D division."

"I'm Nobuyuki Sugou, but you can just call me 'Sugou'," the R&D director introduced. "It's a nice to meet you two."

"I'm Kazuto Kirigaya," Kazuto replied. "And this is my friend, Frank Storm."

Sugou was surprised when he heard their names. "You're _the_ Kirito and Marth," he said as he shook each of their hands. "You two are the heroes who beat Sword Art Online. It's an honor to meet you both."

The SAO Survivors looked at Mr. Yuuki in confusion.

"I know that we're not supposed to talk about what happened during the SAO Incident, but Sugou is my partner's son, so it should be fine," Mr. Yuuki explained. "Besides, I've always considered him a part of my own family."

Sugou turned towards his boss. "There's actually something about that family thing I wanted to talk to you about, sir," he said. "This may be sudden, but I want to make it official as quickly as we can."

Mr. Yuuki had a conflicted look on his face. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "You've still got your whole life ahead of you."

Sugou nodded. "Your concern is appreciated, but I've made up my mind," he replied before he eyed Asuna. "This may be strange but right now, even though she's like this, she's still beautiful. I really want to see her in that wedding dress."

The SAO Survivors gasped in shock at what they just heard.

"You do have a point, Sugou. The sooner we prepare for the inevitable, the better it will be," Mr. Yuuki agreed. He then checked the time. "I need to go. I have a meeting in an hour. We'll have to talk about this later. Take care, Kazuto. You too, Frank."

Frank quickly recovered from the shock and said goodbye to Mr. Yuuki before he left the room. Kazuto on the other hand was completely speechless.

Sugou walked to the opposite side of the bed. "I heard from Asuna's parents that she was married to you in the game," he said. "Is that true, Kazuto?"

"Yes, we were," Kazuto replied slowly.

Sugou sat down at the edge of the bed. "Then that means this will make things very complicated between the two of us," Sugou said before he lifted a few strands of Asuna's hair and smelled them, angering and disgusting both Kazuto and Frank. He let her hair fall back down made eye contact with the teenagers. "In case you two were wondering, her father and I were making plans for her marriage… to me."

The SAO Survivors made a fist with their hands.

"But that's wrong," Frank retorted. "You can't do that when Asuna's like this."

Sugou shrugged. "True. We can't legally get married but if the Yuuki family adopts me, it'll look that way on paper at least," he replied. "The truth is that she's always hated me ever since we were kids. But neither my parents nor hers knows about it. There's no doubt that if I proposed to her while she was conscious that she'd refuse." He started to poke Asuna's face. "So, this is a perfect opportunity."

Kazuto quickly got in front of Sugou and grabbed his wrist. "Leave her alone," he said coldly as Sugou forced his hand away. "You can't take advantage of Asuna while she's in a coma."

"For your information, I have a right to her," Sugou replied.

"No you don't, you bastard!?" Frank exclaimed in anger.

Sugou glared daggers at the teen. "Watch your tongue, little boy. I'll explain my reasoning," he said. "Did you hear what happened to Argus, the company that made Sword Art Online?"

Kazuto nodded. "Yeah. They had to close down due to bankruptcy," he replied.

"Correct. All the lawsuits took their toll on the company until they had to shut down," Sugou explained. "The SAO servers were then moved to another company that specializes in electronics called RECT Progress. Asuna's father, Shouzou Yuuki, just so happens to be the CEO of that company. And I am in charge of RECT's Full Dive Technology and R&D division." He stood back up and faced Kazuto. "So, without getting into details, you could technically say that I'm the one keeping Asuna alive. And not just her, but Yuuki Konno as well."

The teens were taken aback from what they heard.

"So, is it wrong for me to ask for some compensation for what I'm doing?" Sugou continued. He walked past Kazuto and stopped near the door. "We're planning on having the wedding a week from now. I may not know what kinds of promises you all made to each other in the game and I don't really care. However, I don't want to see either of you here again, and stay away from the Yuuki family. Well then _heroes_ , say your goodbyes to Asuna and get out." Sugou then left the room.

Kazuto was heartbroken about Asuna being married to an egomaniac like Sugou while Frank was consumed by rage. He ended up hitting the wall with his fist, ignoring the pain he felt in his hand.

**That Night**

"Kazuto!" Suguha, or Sugu (her nickname), called out from outside her brother's room, the door to which was closed. "Bathroom's all yours." She had black hair and eyes like her brother/cousin.

Kazuto didn't answer, prompting Suguha to open the door and saw her brother sitting on his bed in the dark.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Why didn't you answer? And turn on the heat, it's freezing in here."

Sugu entered the room and turned on the heater.

"Sorry," Kazuto said, his eyes filled with grief. "I just… want to be left alone."

"Why didn't you turn on the heater?" Sugu started to say before noticing the look in Kazuto's eyes. She hurried to her brother and comforted him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kazuto said in sorrow. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure? You're freezing. I could run you a hot bath if you want."

Kazuto looked ready to cry as he held his face with his right hand. "I'm… so weak. I-I didn't want you to see me like this. I didn't want you to see the crybaby I've become."

"Is it Asuna? Is she okay? Did something happen to her?"

"She's leaving. She's going somewhere far away and I'll never… I'm never gonna see her again." Tears then streamed from the SAO Survivor's eyes, prompting Sugu to pull him into a hug.

"Hey…" Sugu said soothingly. "Hang in there. If you really love someone that much, then you can't give up on them no matter what."

Suguha's mind flashbacked to when she and her mother, Midori Kirigaya, visited Kazuto in the hospital while he was still trapped inside Sword Art Online. It was his 16th birthday and it was then that she learned the truth. Kazuto was really the son of her aunt and after she and her uncle died in a car crash, Midori adopted Kazuto and took him in. Apparently, Kazuto found this out at age ten when he found a deleted file containing his adoption records on the internet and confronted Midori about it.

"I was so stunned that I didn't know how to deny it," Midori said. "So, I just told him the truth. That his real parents were my older sister and her husband."

"Hey Mom, you know how Kazuto always locked himself in his room and played online games when he was in middle school?" Sugu asked curiously. "Is it because he found out about his real parents?"

"No, he was always into computers. When he was six, he and Frank built two computers out of nothing but spare parts, and they did play together when they weren't playing online games. Frank's probably the only person to fully understand Kazuto. Those two have a bond that not many people have. Anyway, it's getting late. We should head home and get dinner ready."

"Okay."

Sugu then returned to the present and found that Kazuto had fallen asleep. She put her brother under the covers then laid next to him to warm him up. Sugu then accidently fell asleep.

**The Next Day**

"Sugu," Kazuto said, poking his sister's face. "Wake up. You won't have time for your morning practice if you don't get up."

Sugu groaned as she sat up. She then realized that she had spent the night in her brother's room and quickly ran out, much to Kazuto's amusement. Kazuto recalled Sugu's encouraging words from last night and vowed not to give up. He then got a notice on his computer that he had received an email. Kazuto went to his desk, sat in his chair and saw that the email was from Agil, whose name IRL was Andrew Gill.

"Check this out," Andrew had typed. There was an image attached to the email.

Curious, Kazuto selected the image and gasped as he saw two very familiar, but blurry, figures inside a large birdcage.

"Asuna? Yuuki?!"


	20. Alfheim Online

**Chapter 19- Alfheim Online**

**January 21, 2025**

Frank and Kazuto were going to visit Andrew/Agil at his café, known as the Dicey Café. As soon as Kazuto saw the picture Andrew sent him, he immediately called Frank and found out that he got the same one. The duo then decided to go and ask Andrew about it in person. They stopped at the door to the café.

"Do you think Andrew knows where Asuna and Yuuki are?" Frank asked nervously.

"He probably has a good idea about it, otherwise he wouldn't have emailed us that picture," Kazuto replied.

Frank opened the door and they went inside.

Andrew was standing behind a bar cleaning out a glass. "You guys are a little early," he said jokingly. He was wearing a long-sleeved white button-down shirt and black pants.

"Yeah well you probably scared all your customers away anyway," Kazuto teased back as he closed the door behind him.

"Very funny. At night is when this place really takes off," Andrew replied.

The teenagers walked over to the bar and each took a seat.

"Now that we're here, do you mind telling us why you sent us that picture?" Frank asked the bartender.

"It'll take a while to fully explain everything, but it's something you two need to know about," Andrew said as he brought out two identical hardcopies of a video game. "Take a look at these." He handed one to each teen who closely examined it.

"You wanted us to come and see a game?" Kazuto asked confused.

"It's an MMO for the Amusphere, the rig that replaced the NerveGear," Andrew replied.

"So, it's a VRMMO… just like Sword Art Online," Kazuto said. He read the title of the game, "Alfheim Online."

"Uh, actually it's pronounced 'Alv-heim'. It means 'Land of the Fairies'," Andrew said.

"Seriously? Fairies? Is this supposed to be a kids' game or something?" Frank asked unimpressed.

Andrew shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, brother. This game encourages player killing and it also has a hardcore skill system."

Kazuto looked up at the bartender. "What are you talking about?" he asked curiously.

"The game isn't level-based like SAO, it's skill-based. You have to use your skills constantly to improve them," Andrew explained. "And that's not all. How you perform in combat depends on your real-life physical ability."

"That is hardcore," Frank replied.

"It doesn't have any Sword Skills though. Other than that, it's basically SAO with magic instead," Andrew continued. "What's really got people hooked on this game is because you're able to fly in it."

"Seriously?" Kazuto asked.

"Fairies do have wings after all. The game has this thing called a «Flight Engine» and once you figure out how to use it, you can fly," Andrew replied.

"So how does a player control it?" Frank asked.

Andrew shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I know about it is that it's a real pain to adjust to."

Kazuto nodded. "Makes sense. I wonder if you've got to use the muscles on your back in order to do it," he said before Andrew cleared his throat to snap him out of his thoughts. "Okay, so back to Asuna and Yuuki. What do they have to do with this game?"

Andrew brought out the picture he had sent to the duo. "Do they look familiar?"

"It looks like Asuna and Yuuki," Kazuto replied slowly.

"I knew you'd say something like that," Andrew said.

"Will you just tell us where the hell this picture was taken?" Kazuto asked impatiently.

"Alfheim Online. That was taken from inside the game," Andrew replied grimly.

Andrew took the hardcopy from Frank and flipped it over, which showed a map located on the back of it. "Right in the middle of the game there's this thing called the World Tree," he explained. "There's supposed to be this legendary castle that's at the top of it. The players are all divided up into nine races and each race is trying to be the first to reach the castle."

"Can't they just fly up to it?" Frank asked in ignorance.

"People have already tried, but the game has a limit on how long you can stay airborne," Andrew continued. "Get this, five players stacked up on top of each other with the bigger ones on the bottom. They tried to launch themselves like a rocket. While it did sound pretty clever, they could only reach the lowest branch. They were able to take a couple pictures though. When they took a look at them, they saw something strange." Andrew showed the duo a picture of a giant birdcage. "After they zoomed in on the cage as much as much as they could, they saw them." Andrew then showed them a picture that showed Asuna and Yuuki, but it was much clearer.

"But if that's really Asuna and Yuuki, why the hell are they there?" Kazuto asked before he saw that the game came from RECT Progress, causing him to remember what Sugou told them at the hospital.

"Hey Agil," Frank said, realizing what he and his best friend had to do. "Can Kazuto and I borrow these for a couple days?"

Andrew nodded. "Sure. I actually got those for you two in case you wanted to go investigate," he replied.

"We definitely need to see this for ourselves," Kazuto said before giving Andrew a confident smirk. "After all, a game where it's okay to die shouldn't be that hard."

The duo stood back up. "Wait. We still have to buy the hardware needed to play the game," Frank realized as he remembered that he and Kazuto only had their NerveGears.

"No, you don't. It works with what you guys have," Andrew reassured. "The Amusphere is basically just a NerveGear rig, but with better security."

"Well that's a relief to hear," Kazuto replied with a light smile.

Andrew raised a fist. "The battle isn't over yet. Get them out of there and come back safe," he said.

"You got it. And once we do, we'll all meet back here," Frank replied as they all bumped fists.

The teens left the café and headed for home. They agreed to go into the game at the same time and meet up as quickly as possible.

**Later**

Frank arrived at his house with the game in hand. His parents were at work while Meg was strangely nowhere to be seen.

" _She must have gone to a friend's house or something,_ " Frank brushed it off.

He then entered his room and closed the door behind him and got out his NerveGear rig from his shelf before sitting on his bed.

"Please. I need your help. One last time," Frank muttered to the rig. He and Kazuto were the only ones who were allowed to keep their NerveGears when the government started to round them all up for disposal.

He then plugged it into his computer and inserted the ALO cartridge into the rig. He put the NerveGear on and laid down on his bed. He closed his eyes and said, "Link Start." And with that, he entered the virtual world once more.

Frank found himself in a black room where he believed was where he was supposed to create his new avatar.

"Welcome to Alfheim Online," the system announced before a keypad and a gender check appeared before him. "Please enter your gender and the name you wish to be identified as."

Frank instantly selected male, and hesitantly typed in "Marth", even though Sugou knew that was the name he went by in SAO. Once he clicked the "Okay" button, nine figures representing the different races in the game.

"There are nine races to choose from. Please choose the race you wish to be," the system requested.

Frank scrolled through the different races until he saw one of the slim ones dressed in black and wore a cloak of the same color. The black clothing reminded Frank of his SAO avatar.

"That one looks good," Frank said as he then selected the black-garbed fairy while completely ignoring all the pros and cons of the race.

"You have selected Spriggan," the system said. "Your character's appearance will be decided at random. Do you wish to continue?" Frank quickly hit the "Okay" button again. "You will now be teleported to your hometown in Spriggan territory. Good luck, player."

Blue light enveloped Frank's body as he now found himself free falling in the night sky. He now had spikey black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black jacket with white outlines, pants of the same color and a black belt and boots. He also had a simple one-handed sword strapped to his back. He looked toward the ground saw a city which he assumed to be his destination. Suddenly a glitch occurred, and a black hole appeared just below Marth, which sucked him in.

"What's happening?!" Marth shouted in shock as he fell in.

He then found himself crash landing in some forest head first, which needless to say, hurt like hell. He rolled onto his back and saw a familiar person dressed completely in black lying next to him. The player also had spikey black hair, black eyes and his outfit looked identical to Marth's.

"Is that you, Kirito?" Marth asked curiously, knowing the handle his best friend always uses when playing MMOs.

"Yeah it's me," Kirito confirmed. "I ended up choosing the Spriggan race because of their black color theme. What about you?"

"Same," Marth replied.

The duo looked up at the starry sky. "I can't believe that we're inside another game even after all we've been through in SAO," Kirito said in amazement.

"Tell me about it," Marth replied before realizing, "Wait, where are we?"

"Good question," Kirito said.

They quickly got up and tried to open their menus, but nothing happened. They repeated the motion a few times before the Marth got an idea. "Try the other hand."

They did the motion with their left hand and sure enough, they successfully accessed their main menus. They instinctively selected the Settings button and found what they were looking for.

"That's a relief. There _is_ a logout button," Kirito said in relief. "I'm through with being trapped inside a game."

"You and me both," Marth replied.

They then found their status windows and saw something weird.

"What the? Is this a bug or something?" Marth asked in shock.

They examined the other's status windows and saw that they both had abnormally high skill levels and stats for beginners.

"There's no mistake about it," Kirito realized. "These are all our stats from SAO. They've somehow transferred here in Alfheim."

"All except for our «Dual-Wielding» skill," Marth said as he pointed at the illegible text where the said skill would've been. "Are you saying that we're back in SAO?"

Kirito shook his head. "I don't know. Let's check our inventory and see what's in there," the Spriggan suggested.

They did so and found that all their items were labelled as unknowns.

"Oh crap," Marth and Kirito said in sync.

Kirito scrolled through his storage looking for one item in particular while Marth looked through his own to see how many of his items were missing. They both found an item that was very familiar to each of them and materialized them. The black-eyed Spriggan had a light blue tear-shaped crystal that floated in his hand while the other Spriggan was holding a familiar black sword that he knew all too well.

"No way! Lunara!? How is this possible?" the blue-eyed Spriggan said in shock.

Kirito then curiously touched the crystal, causing it to release a blinding blue light. It floated up and a figure started to form. A figure they immediately recognized as Yui. She opened her eyes and saw the two players looking at her. She was wearing the same dress that she had when they first met her.

"Yui, do you remember me?" Kirito asked his daughter nervously.

Yui smiled as tears started to appear on her eyes, "I do. I remember you, Daddy. And Uncle Marth too." She then shares a hug with her father and uncle. "I missed you both so much, Daddy, Uncle Marth."

Marth smiled as he remembered when he, Yuuki, Kirito and Asuna took care of Yui when they found her in forest on Aincrad.

"I'm glad you're back, Yui," the Spriggan said. "Miracles do happen."

The trio went over to a fallen tree over a river where they sat down. Yui was on her father's lap. The players then explained that they were now in a game called Alfheim Online. Yui checked the system and told her family that this world was a copy from the SAO servers. Everything was the same, except the Cardinal System, which apparently needed updating.

"That makes sense," Marth said after hearing that. "RECT must have gotten all of Argus's technology after it shut down. They must have chosen to use that tech to create Alfheim Online."

"But what's strange is that when Marth and I checked our stats, they were the same as the ones we had from SAO," Kirito added.

"That's odd. I'll take a look at both of your data," Yui replied before closing her eyes. After a few moments she told them, "You're right, Daddy. This is the same character data that you both had when you were playing Sword Art Online. The reason for that is because the save data format is nearly identical. Anything that was similar in both games were transferred over and merged."

"That must be why neither of us have our «Dual-Wielding» skill," Marth realized. "The skill must not be in ALO."

"All of your items are missing too," Yui added. "All except for Uncle Marth's Lunara of course. The only reason he still has it is because it was made directly by SAO's Cardinal System, which now runs this game. You both should delete all of your lost items before the error detection program finds out about them."

"Yeah, you're right, Yui," Kirito replied as he and Marth opened their menus and pressed the Delete Items option. "Although it sucks that we have to get rid of them after we worked so hard to get these things in the first place." They hit the Confirm button and all their SAO items, save for Marth's Lunara which he had equipped, were deleted from their storage.

"So, what about our skill levels. Will someone notice how high they are for two beginners," Kirito asked his daughter.

Yui shook her head. "Only if the Game Master checks them directly. Other than that, you two should be okay," she replied.

"Well Kirito. Looks like we aren't Beaters anymore. We're just ordinary cheaters now," Marth said jokingly.

The players shared a laugh as Yui got off her father's lap and sat next to him.

"So how are you being identified by the system, Yui?" the black-eyed Spriggan asked curiously.

"The system is classifying me as a Player Support program. It says that I'm a Navigation Pixie," she said before her body started to glow, catching the fairies off-guard. Her body shrunk down till it was about three inches tall. She was now wearing a pink dress with pink sleeves that went down to her hands and had two wings of the same color. There was also a pink flower in her hair. "This is what I look like as a pixie." She then revealed that she didn't have her admin privileges from SAO and could only access the wide area map and the reference database.

"Hey Yui. Your dad and I think that Yuuki and your mother might be trapped somewhere in this game," the other Spriggan said.

"Mommy and Auntie are here too? What do you mean they're trapped here?" Yui asked quickly as she landed on her father's shoulder. The fairies briefly explained about Asuna and Yuuki not waking up back in the real world and that they were spotted in a cage at the top of the World Tree here in Alfheim.

"Hey, wait a minute. I was supposed to start at the Spriggans' hometown, but somehow I ended up here," Marth realized.

Kirito turned towards his fellow Spriggan. "That happened to you too? The same thing happened to me," he said. "Do you have any idea why, Yui?"

"It's possible that each of your location data were corrupted when you both logged on," Yui guessed. "Or it could've been some sort of interference."

"Whatever the reason, it would've been nice if we had started a little bit closer to the World Tree," Marth said before he and Kirito stood up. "Well, we better get moving."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, we've got a long journey ahead of us," the Spriggan replied.

Suddenly two sets of wings appeared on the backs of both players, which were both black and had the Spriggan emblem in the center of the first set.

"So these are our wings. How do we use them to fly?" Marth asked the pixie.

"You both have to access your assist controller. To summon it you need to raise your right hand then act like your grabbing something," Yui explained. The fairies did what they were told and a controller that looked like a nun-chuck for a Wii remote appeared in their left hands. Yui then explained how it worked, but the duo was struggling to fly in a straight path. Yui told them that as long as their wings were shining, they could stay airborne, but they would have to rest their wings once they stopped shining. It took the Spriggans a few minutes to get used to flying.

"This is fun. I think we can handle it. Yui, scan the map and find the one closest to us," Kirito said.

Yui paused for a moment before answering, "There's one in Sylph territory in the west called Sylvain..." She then paused as she sensed something.

"Is something wrong?" Marth asked his niece.

"I'm detecting other players near here," Yui replied.

"How many of them?" Kirito asked, expecting a possible fight.

"There's three Sylphs and six Salamanders," Yui answered. "And the Sylphs are on the run from the Salamanders."

The players made eye contact with each other.

"Hey, Marth. You up for a little rescuing?" Kirito asked, already knowing the answer.

Marth gave his fellow Spriggan a smile. "I thought you'd never ask," he replied.

Yui pointed them in the direction of the players and the trio took off in hot pursuit. Once they were high in the sky, Marth noticed that there were floating islands scattered everywhere. He then looked at Yui, who was flying close to her dad. "Are we getting close to those players?"

The pixie nodded, "Yes, but we must hurry, one of the Sylphs took out a Salamander but got killed in the process. The other two Sylphs were then knocked out of the sky and are now surrounded by the remaining Salamanders."

Yui then went into a pocket on her father's jacket before the duo immediately picked up the pace and arrived just in time. Unfortunately, because the Spriggans were going so fast and didn't know how to land, they ended up crash landing on the ground head first. Once they "landed", their wings disappeared.

"Ouch. Note to self, learn how to land," Marth said in pain before he and his friend got back up.

"Seconded," Kirito agreed as he rubbed the back of his head, which felt like it was throbbing.

The duo saw five guys in red armor wielding lances and had red wings, which they assumed to be the Salamanders, and two girls who were backed into a tree. The first was a Sylph with long blonde hair that was held up in a ponytail. Her outfit was a green and white waistcoat, white pants and brown boots. She had a katana in her hands and its scabbard was strapped to her waist.

The second girl was another Sylph, but she had long emerald-green hair and green eyes. She wore a green overcoat with blue trimming, white pants and gloves, and brown boots. She was wielding a rapier and had its scabbard strapped to her waist.

"Could someone please explain why five big guys are ganging up on two girls," Kirito said hoping to provoke the Salamanders. "That's really not cool if you ask me."

The blue-eyed Spriggan nodded in agreement. "You got that right," he added. "I think we should teach these guys some manners."

The girls were shocked that the new arrivals were deliberately trying to get into a fight with the Salamanders.

"Are you two trying to get yourselves killed?" the green-haired Sylph questioned. "Get out of here while you still can."

It was too late because two of the Salamanders fell for the taunt. "You nubes will pay for insulting us?!" one of them angrily exclaimed as he and his comrade flew over to the duo. "Die!" The two Salamanders charged as they each lunged their spears at one of the boys.

The boys smirked and made no effort to dodge. Instead, they surprised everyone as they each effortlessly caught the ends of the spears with one hand.

"Later," the Spriggans said in sync as they tossed the Salamanders back into two of their comrades, knocking all four of them out of the sky.

"Excuse me, but would you two mind if we killed these guys?" Marth asked the girls.

"Uh, if you want to. They weren't going to let you guys leave here alive anyway," the blonde Sylph replied in confusion as the four Salamanders got back up.

"Then just sit back and watch," Kirito said as he and his partner drew their swords.

Both of the girls' eyes widened when they saw the sword in the blue-eyed Spriggan's hand but chose not to say anything. The boys smirked before running at high speed towards the grounded Salamanders and seemingly disappeared.

"What the? Where'd they go?" one of the Salamanders asked nervously before he and another Salamander suddenly burst into flames which each shrunk down into small red fires.

Everyone else saw that the Spriggans were now behind the Salamanders. They were all astonished at their incredible speed.

The duo simply turned around with a smirk on both of their faces. "Alright, who wants to go next?" Marth asked casually.

**To be continued**


	21. Thorrnn and Leafa

**Chapter 20- Thorrnn and Leafa**

Marth and Kirito had just turned around after finishing off two of the five Salamanders in the area. Everyone else was completely shocked by their incredible speed. The duo then charged at the remaining two grounded Salamanders and stopped right in front of them. They quickly sliced through them with their swords and easily killed them, leaving two more small flames. They then turned to the last Salamander, who was still hovering above them.

"Do you want to fight too?" Kirito asked him.

The Salamander (known as Kagemune) shook his head, "No thanks, kid. My magic skill is about to reach 900 soon and I'd rather not get that lowered by dying."

"At least you're being honest," the other Spriggan said before facing the girls. "What about you two?"

The green-haired Sylph raised a hand in refusal. "We'll pass too," she said.

The other Sylph promptly glared at Kagemune. "Next time we meet, you're going down," she declared.

The Salamander didn't look threatened at all. "When we do, I'll make sure to have more troops with me," he replied before he flew away.

Marth noticed the flames behind him and his partner. "What's with those flames?" he asked curiously.

"Quiet! Those are Remain Lights, the players you two just killed can still hear you," the green-haired Sylph said before the flames disappeared. "Now we can talk. So, what now? Do you two want us to thank you, run away, or fight?"

The boys sheathed their swords and crossed their arms. "If we analyze what just happened, it was your basic knight saves the princess moment," Marth said, confusing the girls.

Kirito nodded, having caught on what his partner really meant. "That's right. You two could hug us and call us your heroes," he added.

"Go away, you losers!" the blonde Sylph said angrily.

The boys laughed in response. "We're just messing with you guys," Marth replied with a light smile, but the girls were still growling angrily at them.

"No way," Yui said suddenly, "I won't let either of them do that."

"Yui, stay out of sight," Kirito said quickly but the pixie got out of his pocket and flew to his shoulder.

"Mommy and me are the only ones allowed to hug Daddy!" Yui declared.

"Wait, 'Daddy'?" the blonde Sylph asked in confusion as Kirito desperately tried to hide his daughter from them.

He failed as the girls quickly approached them and saw Yui anyway. "No way. You have one of those private pixies," the katana-user asked. "Those were available in a lottery when the game first started."

"Yeah, she is," Kirito said nervously, opting not to tell them the truth about Yui.

"So, do either you mind explaining why two Spriggans like you are doing all the way over here?" the green-haired Sylph questioned.

"We kinda… got lost," Marth made up, prompting the girls to burst out laughing.

"How could you get that lost?" the Sylph replied. "Spriggan territory is all the way in the east. You guys are really weird." She and her partner sheathed their swords. "Anyway, my name's Thorrnn and this is my friend, Leafa. Thanks for saving us."

"I'm Kirito and this is Marth," the black-haired Spriggan introduced before pointing at the pixie on his shoulder. "And this is Yui."

"Okay then… Kirito and Marth," Leafa said. "Do you have any plans today? If not, Thorrnn and I can buy you two a drink."

"Sure. That sounds awesome," Kirito replied. "And if you girls don't mind, Marth and I would like to ask you a few questions?"

"Like what?"

"Like more about this world, and the World Tree."

Leafa and Thorrnn glanced at each other and nodded.

"Okay," Thorrnn said. "We may not look like it, but we know a lot about this game. There's a neutral town to the north. It's a little out of the way, but we can fly over there."

"Okay, but isn't Sylvain closer to us?" Kirito asked ignorantly.

The girls looked at him like he was stupid. "You guys don't know anything about this game, don't you?" Thorrnn explained. "Sylvain is Sylph territory. When you're in a different race's territory, you can't attack them, but they can attack you."

Marth gave them a casual smile. "As long as Kirito and I don't provoke them, they won't attack us," the Spriggan replied. "Plus, you and Leafa will be there too."

Leafa shrugged. "Okay, if you guys really want to go there, we'll take you. I can't guarantee your safety, though." Two pairs of green wings appeared on her back and on Thorrnn's. "Let's get flying."

"Hold on a minute," Marth said to the girls. "You guys can fly without using the controller?"

Thorrnn nodded. "Yeah, can't you two do the same?"

"We just learned how to use the controller when we logged into ALO, and we're still trying to figure everything out," Kirito replied.

"We'll teach you a trick on how do it. Turn around, but don't access your controllers," Leafa instructed. The boys did what they were told, and they summoned their wings.

The girls touched the respective boy's backs and told them to imagine that they had virtual bones and muscles that spread into their wings. The boys struggled as their wings started to move by their willpower. The girls told them to repeat the motion again, but harder. The boys did so before Leafa and Thorrnn gave them a big push, causing Kirito and Marth to scream as they flew high in the air. They also knocked down a couple branches off of trees as they ascended.

"Oh crud," Leafa said nervously before she, Thorrnn and Yui went after them.

"Daddy!" Yui exclaimed. "Uncle Marth!"

"Kirito! Marth! Are you guys okay?" Thorrnn called out.

"There they are!" Leafa pointed toward two black figures flying all over the place. It was obvious that the boys were failing at trying to control their movements because they were flying around in circles.

"How do we stop make it stop?!" Kirito and Marth yelled together, prompting the girls to laugh at them.

"Sorry Daddy, Uncle Marth," Yui said in-between giggles, "but that's hilarious."

After a while, a long while, the Spriggans were finally able to control their flying.

"Man, this is so cool!" Marth cheered as he soared through the sky.

His fellow Spriggan nodded. "Yeah it is."

"Looks like you guys are getting the hang of it," Leafa said before she led them to the Sylph capital.

"We'll take it slow until you two get better at it," Thorrnn told the boys, who simply smirked.

"Don't worry about us. We can go faster," Marth replied.

"Suit yourselves," Thorrnn said before she and Leafa increased their speed. When they looked behind them, they were shocked as they saw that the boys were right behind them.

"Is that the fastest you two can go?" Kirito asked in challenge.

"No, but don't blame us if you guys crash," Leafa said as she and Thorrnn went to their max speed, with the boys close behind.

After a while, Yui was too tired to fly anymore and went into her father's coat pocket while Kirito and Marth were having a little trouble keeping up with the Sylphs. The girls slowed down a little so that they were right next to the boys.

"Wow. I can't believe that you two can handle flying at this speed," Thorrnn commented.

They then quickly reached Sylvain, which had four towers at the corners of the city and one in the center. True to the Sylph color theme, the city was very green.

"We're going to land right at the base of the central tower," Leafa said before realizing something important. "Uh, Kirito, Marth. You guys do know how to land, right?"

The swordsmen formed panicked looks on their faces. "No, not really," Kirito replied nervously.

Leafa and Thorrnn tried to quickly explain how to land, but they were getting too close to the central tower, causing the girls to ditch the boys.

"Too late now," Thorrnn said with a nervous smile. "You'll have to learn on your own." The Sylphs descended safely towards the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" the boys shouted before they hit the tower and crashed on the ground flat on their backs. Everyone, except Leafa and Thorrnn, who landed next to the duo, stared at them in confusion.

"Not cool, Leafa," Kirito said in annoyance.

"Same to you, Thorrnn," Marth added in the same tone.

The girls slightly chuckled. "Stop complaining. I can heal you two," the blonde Sylph replied. She then chanted a healing spell and as she did so, words in another language surrounded her. The words disappeared when Leafa finished the spell and fully restored the Spriggans' HP.

"So this is magic?" Marth asked curiously.

Thorrnn nodded. "The Undines are the only race who can use high-level healing spells easily. But the one Leafa just used can be done by just about anyone," she explained. "It might be a good idea for you both to learn it."

The boys sat up. "So, if different races have different skills, what does the Spriggan race do?" Kirito asked eagerly.

Leafa paused before answering, "You guys are good at treasure hunting and illusion magic. Neither of them are much help in combat."

The Spriggan sighed. "Oh well. I'll just fight like I normally do then," he replied.

"Ditto," Marth added as he and Kirito stood up. "So, this is a Sylph town. It's beautiful."

"I know right," Leafa said before a voice called out.

"Leafa! Thorrnn!" The group turned and saw a male Sylph running towards them, waving his arm at them. He had yellow-green hair and wore a hooded long-sleeved green cardigan, a long dark green shirt covered by a dark blue vest, brown pants with armor around his shins, and dark gray shoes. He also had a belt with a dagger strapped to the back of it. Once he got to the group, he slumped over to catch his breath.

"Oh, hey, Recon," Thorn greeted casually.

"I knew you guys would survive." Recon then noticed the two Spriggans and jumped back in surprise. "Gah! Spriggans!" He reached for his dagger.

Leafa chuckled at her friend's reaction to the duo. "Relax, Recon. These guys saved us from those Salamanders," she explained. The Sylph then faced the two Spriggans. "This is Recon. He, Thorrnn and I are in the same party with a couple other players."

Kirito then extended a hand towards the dagger-user. "I'm Kirito and this is my friend, Marth," he introduced. The other Spriggan just casually waved.

Recon let go of his dagger and shook the black-eyed Spriggan's hand. "Hi, nice to meet you," he said before realizing that he still didn't trust them. He let go of the Spriggan and grabbed his dagger again. "What the hell am I talking about? These guys could be spies or something."

Thorrnn giggled at her friend's paranoia. "If these guys really were spies I doubt they would act like idiots," she replied, getting death glares from the male duo.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Marth retorted, getting a mischievous smirk from the Sylph.

"Anyway," Recon said. "Sigurd and the others are waiting at the tavern."

Leafa's eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah, that's right. Can you please tell them that we can't come today?"

The male Sylph gasped in shock. "What? Why?"

"We kinda promised Marth and Kirito a drink as thanks for saving us," Thorrnn explained. "See you later, Recon."

Thorrnn and Leafa then grabbed Marth and Kirito respectively by the arm and led them away, much to their displeasure. Recon just watched the group walk away in sadness.

Once they were inside an inn, the group each ordered a drink. Once the group's drinks arrived, they decided to continue their conversation they had in the forest. Yui was sitting on the table, right in front of her father.

"So, how'd you guys meet that Recon guy anyway?" Kirito asked.

"We know him in real life," Leafa explained. "We all go to the same school and we're classmates. He's the one who introduced us to ALO and taught us the basics of the game. We ended up surpassing him in just a few weeks. The three of us then joined a party and we go hunting together."

"Anyway, drink up," Thorrnn said. "And thanks again for saving us back there."

The players then took a sip of their drinks.

"Those guys in the forest were playing really rough," Marth commented. "Is it normal for there to be gangs of PKers here?"

"Well, the Sylphs and the Salamanders never got along," Leafa explained. "But recently the Salamanders who hunt Sylphs have been getting more organized. They might be trying to gear up to clear the World Tree."

"Actually, Marth and I wanted to ask you about that," Kirito admitted.

"You did mention the World Tree earlier," Leafa said. "Why do you want to know?"

"We want to get to the top as soon as possible," Marth replied.

Thorrnn snickered. "Join the club. Every player wants to get to the top of the World Tree. You could call it the 'Grand Quest of Alfheim Online'."

"What do mean?"

"You know how you can only fly for a set amount of time?" Thorrnn explained. "None of the races can fly continuously for more than ten minutes at a time. However, at the top of the tree is a place known as the Floating City and in it lives Oberon, the Fairy King. The first race of fairy to reach him will be reborn as an advanced race known as Alfs. What's cool about them is that they can fly for as long as they want."

"Cool," Kirito said. "It'd be sweet if I could fly as long as I wanted. So how does someone get to the top of the tree?"

"At the base of the World Tree is a city called Arun," Leafa took over. "There a big dome serves as the entrance to the dungeon that leads to the top of the tree. However, the NPCs inside it are super powerful. During the whole year the game's been out, no one's gotten passed them."

"Seriously?" Marth said in disbelief before thinking. "Maybe they're missing that one key quest or maybe it's designed so that one race can't reach it alone."

Thorrnn smirked. "You've got good instincts. Right now, everyone's thinking that it's a missing quest, so they're out there looking for it. But if we have to work together to beat it, it'll never happen."

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't make sense. Think about it. Why would you help someone when they're the one getting the reward? Could you imagine anyone being cool with that arrangement?"

"Then getting to the top of the World Tree is impossible," Kirito realized.

"Flying is pretty addictive though," Leafa admitted. "Once you have a taste, you can't get enough. Even if it takes years, maybe someday…"

"But I can't wait around that long!" Kirito exclaimed, catching everyone by surprise.

Yui flew over to the Spriggan and landed on his shoulder. "Daddy?"

Kirito then realized his mistake and said, "Sorry. It's just that… I have to get to the top of the World Tree as soon as possible."

"So do I," Marth added.

"Okay. So, what's the rush?" Leafa asked curiously.

"We're looking for some people," the blue-eyed Spriggan explained.

"Care to get more specific?" Thorrnn questioned.

Kirito's eyes filled with grief, as did Marth's. "No offense, but it's hard to explain," said the other Spriggan. Both boys' eyes then returned to normal. "Thank you, Leafa, Thorrnn. All the info you gave us will come in handy."

The Spriggans then stood up and turned to leave, but they were suddenly stopped when the Sylphs grabbed them by the arm.

"Are you guys going to the World Tree right now?" Leafa asked.

The male duo nodded. "Uh huh," Kirito said. "Marth and I need to see this for ourselves." They then slipped out of the girls' grasp and began to walk away.

"But that's crazy," Thorrnn protested. "It's really far away and you'll have to fight a bunch of monsters. Sure, you guys can handle yourselves in a fight but…" The two Sylphs glanced at each other and gulped. "Hey if you guys want, Leafa and I can take you there."

Marth and Kirito stopped and turned to face the girls.

"Thanks, but we just met you two," Marth said. "And it wouldn't be right for you going all that way."

"Then how are you guys gonna get to the World Tree if you don't know even how to get there?" Leafa asked as she and Thorrnn walked over to the boys.

"And what are you two gonna do against the guardians?" the other Sylph added.

Both Spriggans cringed as they realized they didn't think that far ahead. They both sighed in defeat.

"Okay, fine," Kirito said. "We'll all go together."

"How about we all meet up tomorrow afternoon?" Thorrnn suggested.

"Sure, that's fine."

"Thorrnn and I will meet you both here at 3 p.m. sharp. I have to log out now."

"So do I," Thorrnn added as she and her fellow Sylph opened their menus. "When you guys are ready, you can log out in one of the rooms upstairs."

"Okay," Marth said. "Thank you both."

Both girls gave a light smile before they logged out of the game. Meg then woke up in the real world. She looked up at the ceiling where there was a poster of her in-game as Thorrnn and Sugu as Leafa.

"Talk about weird guys," Meg thought aloud as she recalled her encounter with the two Spriggans. "Marth and Kirito, huh? Where have I heard those names before?"

Meanwhile, back in ALO, Marth said good night to his partner and logged off manually. Kirito, on the other hand, had decided to log off through sleep. After he climbed into bed, Yui returned to her original form.

"I guess this is goodbye until tomorrow," the AI said.

"Yeah, but Marth and I will be back tomorrow."

"Daddy," Yui looked a little conflicted, "is it okay if I sleep next to you, at least until you log off?"

Kirito nodded. "Sure. I don't mind."

Yui smiled with joy before climbing into bed with her father.

"You, me and Marth are going to save Asuna and Yuuki together," Kirito promised. "Then we'll go buy a house somewhere together."

"That would make me so happy! Living with you and Mommy again will be a dream come true."

Kirito laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "It won't be just a dream. I'll make it a reality, I promise." The Spriggan then found his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. He ended up closing his eyes and fell asleep.

"Good night, Daddy," Yui said.

**Meanwhile**

Asuna and Yuuki were trapped in a birdcage. Asuna was sitting by a table while Yuuki was lying down on one of the beds. The former was wearing a white dress while the latter wore a light purple dress and had purple hair. Asuna looked saddened while Yuuki was bored.

"Every time I see that look on your face, Asuna," a familiar voice said, "I want to freeze it and put it on a wall."

Asuna scoffed as a man entered the cage. He had blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a green robe, a gold crown, and white sandals. He also had green butterfly wings on his back.

"What are you waiting for? Permission?" She asked venomously. "You can do whatever you want as a Game Master, after all."

"Such cold words from such a pretty little mouth," the man replied. "Have I ever laid a finger on you or Yuuki when you didn't want me to, Titania?"

"Stop calling me by that stupid name!" Asuna retorted. "My name is Asuna, Sugou."

Sugou smiled smugly. "You're spoiling the fun. In this world I'm known as the Fairy King Oberon. You are Queen Titania, my breathtaking bride," he walked over to Yuuki, who had sat up, "while Yuuki here is my mistress. There's not a single player who wouldn't want to be me."

Yuuki then slapped Sugou in the face. "Like I'd want anything to do with a creep like you. I don't care even if you're a GM, I'm not some puppet for you to control."

Sugou glared bitterly at the purple-haired teen. "Still refusing to submit to me, aren't you? Regardless, I'll break that stubborn will of yours, one way or another." He then approached Asuna. "Now as for you, when will you give my heart to me?"

"Never. The only thing you'll get from me is disgust and hatred."

Sugou sat on the table and faced Asuna. "You're both so stubborn." He held chestnut-haired teen's face inappropriately. "Romance is nice and all, but I could always just take you by force if I want."

Yuuki scoffed in disgust. "Like we'd let you."

"Whatever," Sugou said as he rose to his feet. "You'll both want me sooner or later. It's just a matter of time."

"You're insane if you think that's gonna happen," Asuna replied.

"You won't be talking like that for much longer. Right now, at this moment, tens of thousands of players are enjoying this game, but none of them have a clue about the true potential of the Full Dive system. Did you know that by expanding the brain control regions, one could _influence_ a person's thoughts, emotions and memories?"

Both girls gasped in shock. "You can't!" Asuna protested. "Technology like that is illegal!"

Sugou chuckled. "That's where you're wrong. In fact, several countries are researching it as we speak. The only thing standing in the way are finding people to experiment on. One day, I was watching the news and it hit me. 10,000 ideal guinea pigs. Both Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell were geniuses, but they were also fools. All they wanted was to use their Full Dive technology for was their game, they couldn't see the potential it had, but I did. Right when SAO began logging players out, I rerouted 300 of them to use as test subjects. I even grabbed you and Yuuki as a bonus. I originally wanted Marth, since he intrigued me, but something prevented me from rerouting his mind, so I ended up taking Yuuki instead."

Yuuki gasped in shock. "What?"

"My research has taken great strides the last two months. I've developed technology that can seed memories to control emotion. My research is almost complete."

"There's no way my father would allow that kind of research!" Asuna protested.

"He wouldn't if he knew about it, but it's being done in secret with just a small team and myself. If your father knew, I can't sell it off."

"What?! To who?!"

"An American corporation. You would believe how eager they are to get their hands on it. Soon I plan on selling it and RECT to them for as much as I can."

"Not if Yuuki and I have anything to say about it." Asuna stood up and glared at her captor. "When we get back to the real world, we're reporting you to the police."

"Yeah!" Yuuki agreed.

Sugou chuckled arrogantly. "Wanna bet? Don't you realize that you're both in the same position as the other guinea pigs? If I wanted, I could alter your memories too."

Both girls gasped in shock as Sugou received a message, telling him to come immediately.

"Relax, the last thing I'd want is to turn you both into porcelain dolls." Sugou grabbed a few strands of Asuna's hair and sniffed them. "But the next time we meet, you both should be a little more submissive, Titania, Yuuki."

Sugou then went to the cage entrance and typed in a code to open the door to leave. Asuna glared at the man, however she couldn't make out the code due to the system's interference. Yuuki, on the other hand, glanced into the mirror on one of the beds and found something interesting.

The cage door closed behind Sugou as he left. As soon as he was out of sight, Asuna fell to her knees and cried.

"Yuuki, what are we gonna do?" Asuna pleaded as her friend comforted her.

"Lighten up, Asuna. Marth and Kirito will come and save us, I know it. Besides, I think I just found a way for us to escape this place."


	22. Journey to the World Tree

**Chapter 21- Journey to the World Tree**

Meg thought back on her past between her and her brother as she laid on her bed. It was seven years since she and her brother had visited Tokyo with their birth parents on a family vacation. Looking back, those were some of her happiest memories and when she was really close with Frank. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when the family were attacked by unknown assailants while walking through the park at night. Their father had tried to fight them off but he ended up getting stabbed to death. Meg remembered her mother telling her and Frank to run, which they did despite their protests. She remembered how afraid she felt as she screamed for help, but no one came. Eventually, she and Frank found themselves surrounded by their attackers until a lone female wearing black armor appeared before them.

The brown-haired teen could still picture the teenage girl's long black hair and her strange arm-blades. Their savior ended up killing their attackers with ease before they dissolved into shadows. After that, the girl disappeared without a trace. To this day, Meg still didn't know who she was or even thanked her for what she did.

The police then found them huddling by a tree. They were taken to the station where they learned that both their parents had been killed, which devastated them both. She and her brother were then sent to an orphanage since they had no other extended family left. The orphanage was fine, and it did help Meg learn Japanese so she could communicate with the other kids. Eventually a Japanese couple chose to adopt them. Frank then met Kazuto and they became fast friends. However, the bond between him and his sister was weaker than ever. Frank ended up isolating himself from Meg, despite them both going through the grief of losing their birth parents.

_"Maybe that's why Frank started playing MMOs with Kazuto,"_ Meg thought to herself. _"They were both struggling with the real world so they decided to play in the virtual world instead."_

Then the SAO Incident happened. Her brother ended up being one of the 10,000 people trapped inside the death game. Meg constantly visited him in the hospital with their new parents, hoping that he'd wake up. She found herself hating VRMMOs because Sword Art Online stole her remaining family member from her. But then, something changed in her life. Suguha, Kazuto's sister, reached out to her and offered to help her through it. Suguha then invited her to join Alfheim Online so Meg could get a better understanding of her brother and why he loved the virtual world. It was a total coincidence that she ended up playing the same race as Sugu, but it worked out for the best since they could hang out easier in-game because of it.

_"I ended up finding myself fascinated by Alfheim Online, and I can now see why Frank loved the virtual world. It lets you experience things that you never could in the real world. Being able to fly high in the sky with my own wings was incredible. I'd give anything to experience that again."_

And then, finally, Sword Art Online was beaten and all surviving players were able to return to the real world. She was so happy to see that her brother was among them, and was the one who beat it, along with Kazuto. Things started getting better as Frank started hanging out with her more, as if to make up for ignoring her for so long.

_"Please, Frank,"_ Meg thought as she hugged her pillow close to her chest. _"Please don't leave me again. I can't lose you too."_

**The Next Day**

Meg and Suguha were at school about to head home when suddenly.

"Hold it, Leafa and Thorrnn!" A boy with glasses appeared right in front of them.

Suguha groaned in annoyance. "Didn't we tell you not to call us by those names here at school, Nagata?"

"Oh. Sorry, Suguha," Nagata replied. He was the player of Recon.

"Why are you here anyway?" Meg asked. "You got a release from the high school entrance exams. Are they making you come anyway?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you that Sigurd and the others want to go hunting again this afternoon."

"Sorry, but Meg and I aren't going to be hanging out with them for a while. We're going to Arun."

"Isn't Arun at the base of the World Tree? Wait a second. Does this have to do with those Spriggans from yesterday?!"

Meg scratched her cheek. "Yeah, we kinda promised that we'd show them the way."

"B-but it's so far and you'll have to sleep with them at…" Nagata was interrupted when Sugu kicked him in the stomach.

"Idiot!" she scolded with a slight blush on her face. "Don't say crazy stuff like that!"

**Later**

Meg entered her house and found the place empty.

_"Frank must be visiting Yuuki at the hospital,"_ she passed off before going to her room. Meg tossed her schoolbag to the side and got onto her bed. She then put on her Amusphere and laid down before diving back into Alfheim Online.

Thorrnn found herself back at the inn with Leafa spawning beside her. Since they had some time before they were to meet with Marth and Kirito, the Sylphs decided to go potion shopping. They arrived back at the inn at the same moment when Marth and Kirito logged on.

"Hey guys," Kirito greeted to the girls. "Hope we didn't keep you waiting too long."

"You didn't," Leafa replied. "Thorn and I just finished with some potion shopping."

"That reminds me, Marth and I need to go get some new gear. I doubt our current equipment will be any good for where we're going."

"Okay, we know a good market, but do you both have enough money because they're not cheap."

"Let's see," Kirito said as he and Marth opened their menus. "Our money is this thing called Yuld, right?" The girls nodded. Kirito then lightly shook his coat pocket. "Yui, it's time to wake up. We're heading out now." The navigation pixie poked her head out of her father's pocket and let out a yawn while she stretched her arms.

The group left the inn towards the market that Leafa and Thorrnn recommended. Marth and Kirito replaced their outfits with a black overcoat with white trimming, black pants, black boots and belt, and black gloves. Kirito also bought a huge one-handed black sword meant for bigger players, much to his friends' amusement. The sword was nearly as big as the Spriggan, and the only reason why he got it was because all the other swords were too light for his liking. Marth, on the other hand, chose to stick with Lunara since its stats fit him perfectly. After they were done getting new equipment, the girls took them to one of the towers.

"Why are we here?" Kirito asked curiously.

"When you're going to fly long distances it's better to start from a higher altitude," Leafa replied. "That's what the tower is used for."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," Marth said as he remembered when he and Kirito crashed into the tower. His thoughts were interrupted when Thorrnn started to push him from behind while Leafa did the same to the other Spriggan.

"C'mon already," Thorrnn said with slight impatience. "I want to get through the forest before dark."

"Okay. Okay," Kirito replied in annoyance. "No need to shove."

The group went inside and headed for the elevator.

"Leafa. Thorrnn. Wait," a male voice said suddenly.

The group turned towards the source and saw three male Sylphs. One of them wore a gold circlet and had a broadsword strapped to his waist.

"Oh, hello, Sigurd," Leafa said to the one with the circlet.

"I heard that you and Thorrnn left the party. Why did you two do that?" Sigurd asked.

Marth looked at the female Sylphs in confusion. "Who is this guy?" the Spriggan asked.

"That's Sigurd. He's the leader of the party Leafa and I were in," Thorrnn replied before facing her former party leader. "You said that we could leave whenever we wanted to when you invited us. You gave us your word about it."

"I know what I promised, but you and Leafa have been with us for a while and everyone knows you," Sigurd said. "If you two leave now, it'll damage both my reputation and the party's too."

The girls were too stunned to answer, but the Spriggans glared coldly at the Sylph. "Party members aren't your items," Kirito said suddenly.

"What did you just say?" Sigurd asked, confused.

Kirito and his partner walked over to the Sylph. "You heard him. Party members aren't your items so they're not something you can call on whenever you want," Marth replied. "They're not your sword, your shield, or your equipment."

His fellow Spriggan nodded. "That's right," Kirito added. "Anyone who thinks that doesn't deserve to be a leader."

Sigurd's eyes filled with rage. "You bastards," he said as he reached for his sword. "I bet those big mouths of yours' got you both thrown out of your own territory. Let's see what you've got, you Spriggan trash."

The male duo sighed at how easy it was to anger the male Sylph.

"That's it!" Leafa said loudly. "Kirito and Marth are a part of our new party, so leave them alone!"

"Yeah! Knock it off, Sigurd!" Thorrnn added.

Sigurd looked at the girls in shock. "Leafa, Thorrnn, you're abandoning us to be renegades like them?"

Thorrnn gritted her teeth in frustration. "Yeah. And we're never coming back," she replied in a serious tone.

Sigurd then drew his sword and pointed it towards the Spriggans. "I don't care if you two hang out with my party members, but it's another thing if you try to steal them," he said angrily. "If you're stupid enough to go into another race's territory, then it's your damn fault if you get killed."

Sigurd looked ready to attack Marth and Kirito but one of his comrades stopped him by saying, "This isn't a good place for a fight, Sigurd. If we attack two people who can't even defend themselves, then our image will be destroyed."

The Sylph realized that the player was right as he noticed that their argument had gotten everyone else's attention. Sigurd then reluctantly sheathed his sword. "As soon as you two leave, you better run and hide, Thorrnn and Leafa," he said bitterly. "I never thought you both would betray me this way. Goodbye." He left the tower with his party members.

Once they were gone, Marth and Kirito turned towards their party members. "I'm sorry we got you two dragged into this," Leafa said apologetically.

Marth waved his hand dismissively. "It's all right," the Spriggan replied. "But are you two going to be okay?"

The girls didn't answer and instead pushed the Spriggans into the elevator, and it quickly took them to the top of the tower. The group got out of it walked close to the edge.

"Wow. We're so high up it's like we can reach up and touch the sky," Kirito commented.

Thorrnn nodded. "Yeah. This is definitely one of my favorite views in the game," she replied.

Marth then remembered what Sigurd had accused him and Kirito of being. "What's a renegade?" the Spriggan asked curiously.

"A renegade is a player who abandons their territory," Leafa explained. "They're mostly looked down upon by other players. I don't understand why everyone is so focused on tying each other down. It's like they're trying to remove the purpose of having wings."

Yui stuck her head out of her father's coat. "You humans are very confusing," she said before flying out and landing on Kirito's left shoulder. "Your psychology is so strange. Why are you so mean to each other when all you want is companionship? If it were up to me…" She then kissed Kirito's cheek. "I'd do that. It's simple, clear, and convenient."

The girl players looked at the pixie in awe. "What an amazing AI," Thorrnn said. "Are all AIs like this, or is it yours?"

"Just mine, but she's a weirdo," Kirito replied as he put the pixie back in his pocket.

Leafa let out a giggle. "I guess you would know better than anyone," the Sylph said as she recalled the pixie's words.

They were about to leave but they were stopped when Recon called out to them. "Leafa, Thorrnn, wait!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you guys say goodbye?"

"Sorry about that, Recon. We kind of forgot," Leafa replied sheepishly.

"Why'd you two quit the party all of a sudden?" Recon asked.

Leafa paused before answering, "Thorrnn and I didn't think too much about it. We just did it. What are you going to do?"

"That's easy. It doesn't matter where you go Leafa, my dagger belongs to you alone, and you alone," Recon said as he drew his weapon.

"I don't really need it, but thanks anyway," Leafa said teasingly, causing Recon to nearly collapse.

"That's not what I meant!" Recon replied. "I meant that I would always follow you no matter what. Actually, I want to, but something's been bugging me. I don't have any evidence to prove it, so I'm gonna stay in Sigurd's party for a little longer." He then faced the Spriggans. "Hey Kirito, Marth. Leafa and Thorrnn have a habit of getting themselves into trouble every now and then. Can I trust you two to keep an eye on them?"

The SAO Survivors smiled and nodded. "Of course. We'll make sure they're okay," Kirito said.

"We'll be in neutral territory for a while," Thorrnn said. "Message either me or Leafa if you need something, Recon."

The dagger-user nodded as he sheathed his weapon. "Okay. Be safe out there," Recon replied.

The party materialized their wings and took off towards Arun, leaving the lone male Sylph at the tower, who was waving goodbye to them.

As the fairies flew, Yui poked her head out of the Kirito's coat pocket. "Now that person's feelings I can read. He cares lot about Leafa and Thorrnn, but mostly about Leafa," she said. "Do you feel the same way, Leafa?"

The blonde Sylph blushed in embarrassment. "No! He's just a friend, that's it!" Leafa exclaimed before shaking her head. Then, in a normal tone, said with a smile, "C'mon guys. Let's try to reach the lake without stopping."

Kirito formed a wild grin on his face. "Alright," the Spriggan said confidently.

The group flew over the Ancient Forest and took breaks on either the ground or the occasional floating islands to rest their wings. They were getting close to a mountain range while flying before being attacked by a group of six small winged purple lizards with a single eye.

"Oh great. Evil Glancers," Thorrnn said bitterly. "I was hoping for us to avoid those things. These monsters are pretty powerful."

The boys quickly drew their swords. "Leafa, Thorrnn. Keep your distance and act as support while Marth and I are on offense," Kirito ordered before charging at one of the monsters, with Marth close behind. The female duo nodded in response and started to chant support spells.

"We need to split these things up into smaller groups," Marth said as he swung Lunara to keep the monsters away with his partner at his back.

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If we do that we'll have an easier time taking them down," the Spriggan replied.

The duo then flew off in separate directions, which successfully split the monster group in half as they pursued the players. Marth used his high speed to quickly cut down two of the Evil Glazers and saw Kirito do the same. Unfortunately, the last two monsters HP were only reduced to 20% and tried to fly away. Before the swordsmen could make chase, Leafa and Thorrnn chanted a long range attack spell that created five boomerangs/spears made from wind/fire, respectively. The spells quickly went after the monsters and killed them. The players then each got a notice on the items they received from the monster drop.

"Thanks for the backup, Thorrnn," Marth said as he gave the rapier-user a high-five.

"Same with you, Leafa," Kirito added as he did the same with the katana-user.

"You're welcome," Thorrnn said before noticing that everyone's wings were starting to fade. "Our wings aren't going to last much longer. We need to land and rest for a bit."

"Where do you suggest?" Marth asked as he looked around for a safe place to do so.

"How about right there?" Leafa replied as she pointed towards a clearing near a river.

"Looks good to me," Kirito said before the group headed for their agreed upon rest stop.

The swordsmen had gotten better with their landings since they first dived into ALO, so they didn't end up crashing again. As soon as the group's feet touched the ground, their wings disappeared. They took the opportunity to stretch since they've been flying for a while.

"Hey Kirito, Marth. You guys tired yet?" Leafa asked curiously.

They both shook their heads. "Nope. We can keep going," Kirito replied.

"Yeah. This stuff is nothing compared to what we're used to," Marth added.

Leafa pointed towards the mountains. "Those mountains are above the altitude limit, so we can't fly over them," the Sylph explained. "We have to take the tunnels to get through them."

Kirito nodded in acknowledgement. "Gotcha. Are the tunnels long?" he replied.

"Yep, luckily there's a mining town that's about halfway in there," Leafa said. "The town's neutral territory so that means we can rest there." The katana-wielder then remembered something. "That reminds me, is everyone good for time or does anyone need to go back?"

Marth thought for a moment. "It's seven at night in the real world right now," he said. "Yeah, I can keep going."

"Same with me," Kirito replied.

"Okay," Thorrnn added. "Leafa and I are good too. We should rotate out in groups of two, so we can eat and rest."

"Rotate?" the Spriggan repeated.

"It's simple. Two of us will take turns logging out while the others guard their avatars," Leafa briefly explained. "It's a method created by the players since you can't log out instantly in neutral territory. Your avatar body takes a while to disappear when you do it so you leave it vulnerable to attacks."

"Makes sense. Alright, ladies first," Marth replied.

"How generous of you," Thorrnn commented before she and Leafa opened their menus. "We'll be back soon." They then hit the logout button, but instead of disappearing, their eyes closed as they fell to their knees. The boys quickly caught the girls and set them down in a sitting position. The male duo then sat down to rest and looked around.

Kirito then brought out an item from his storage that looked like a red bamboo straw. He put one end of it in his mouth like a piece of reed.

"Where'd you get that?" Marth asked his friend.

"I got a bunch of them in Sylvain. I don't remember what they're called but the NPC said you could only get them there," the Spriggan replied as he materialized another one and tossed it to his partner. "Try it."

Marth stared at the item before he shrugged. He repeated what Kirito did and almost immediately afterward, his mouth felt like it was on fire. The reed was very spicy.

"HOT?!" Marth shouted as he threw the straw far away. He then gave his fellow Spriggan a death glare. "You are so dead!"

As if sensing an upcoming conflict, Yui flew out of the black-eyed Spriggan's pocket and watched her father being chased in circles by her angry uncle, the former of the players was laughing up a storm. The Dark Swordsman then tackled Kirito and held him on the ground.

"It's your own fault, Marth," Kirito said while still laughing. "You know I like spicy food."

"And you know I hate that stuff!" Marth replied in frustration.

"What's going on?" Leafa asked suddenly.

The boys, and Yui, turned and saw that the girls had logged back on. The female duo stood back up and walked over to the rest of the group.

"Why are you guys on top of each other?" Thorrnn asked curiously, causing the Spriggans to stand back up.

"I was just about to murder Kirito," Marth said. "He made the mistake of tricking me into eating spicy food."

Leafa simply shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, it's you and Kirito's turn to log out now."

"Okay. See you both in a bit."

Marth and Kirito then logged out. The Sylphs quickly caught the empty avatar bodies before they fell and placed them in a sitting position. They were then surprised to find Yui still moving around even though Kirito was offline.

"No way," Leafa said in disbelief as the pixie sat on her father's shoulder. "You can move when your master's gone?"

"Well of course I can move," Yui said with pride. "I'm my own person. And for your information, he's not my master, he's my daddy."

"Hey Yui," Thorrnn asked suddenly. "Why do you call Kirito 'Daddy' and address Marth as your uncle? Did Kirito set you up that way?"

Yui shook her head. "He didn't mess with my data at all, he and Uncle Marth saved me. They said that they were my daddy and uncle, so that's why I call them that."

"Okay," Leafa said slowly. "So do you… like them?"

Yui cocked her head curiously. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by 'like'."

Both Sylphs looked at the pixie with shock.

"Seriously?" Leafa said, looking a little embarrassed. "It means you want to be with them all the time and when you're together, you get excited by being near them. Sort of." The Sylph's thoughts turned to the growing attraction she had for Kirito, making her blush in embarrassment.

"What's wrong, Leafa?" Yui asked in concern.

"Nothing!" Leafa exclaimed. "It's nothing!"

"What's nothing?" Kirito said innocently as he and Marth logged back in, catching the Sylphs by surprise.

"Did something happen?" Marth added.

"Welcome back, Daddy, Uncle Marth," Yui said. "Leafa explaining to me what it means when someone…"

"It wasn't anything important," Thorrnn interrupted, not wanting her friend to be embarrassed any further. "You guys weren't gone very long. Did you get something to eat?"

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, my family left some food for me."

"Mine too," Marth said.

"Okay then." Leafa rose to her feet. "Let's get flying. We've still got a long way to go."

Both Spriggans looked a little confused, but rose to their feet, as did Thorrnn. When the fairies readied to take flight, Marth and Kirito suddenly tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Thorrnn asked nervously.

"I felt like someone was watching us just now," Kirito replied before looking at Yui, who was in his pocket. "Hey Yui, are there any players near here?"

The pixie shook her head. "No, I'm not detecting any players near here," Yui said.

"It's possible someone put a Tracer on us," Leafa said, getting questioning looks from the new players. "It's a «Tracking» magic that takes on the form of a small animal or insect. Players use them to spy on each other and if their magic is really high, the Tracer can go long distances."

"Is there a way to stop it?" the blue-eyed Spriggan asked.

"The only way for the target to remove a Tracer is to either move out of its range or find and destroy it," Leafa replied. "The only problem is that this area will make it nearly impossible to find a Tracer, if there is one."

Kirito shrugged. "Maybe it was just our imagination," he said. "Anyway, let's get going."

The group took off towards the mountain. Unbeknownst to them, a small red bat was looking at them from a distance before flying after them.


	23. Fight in the Tunnels

**January 12th, 2025**

The group entered the mountain tunnel couldn't see anything due to how dark it was. Luckily Kirito and Marth used a night vision spell, allowing them all to see.

"What do you know? Spriggan magic can be useful after all," Leafa commented.

"Was that a compliment or an insult?" Kirito asked slightly irritated.

Thorrnn and Leafa laughed. "You're both practicing your magic, which is a good thing to do. Besides, projecting illusions is one of your race's specialties," the green-haired Sylph replied.

"Illusions?" the Spriggan asked.

Thorrnn nodded. "Yeah. You use them to trick people, but it's not that useful in combat," she said before shrugging. "Who knows though, maybe in a life-or-death situation, your lame Spriggan magic may come in handy."

Kirito let out a heavy sigh as the girls laughed. "Now that was definitely an insult," he replied.

"You got that right," Marth agreed in irritation.

The group continued going through the tunnels and since there weren't a lot of monsters in the area, Marth and Kirito took the opportunity to look at their spells and learn them. Unfortunately, according to the Sylphs, they were doing it wrong.

"You can't memorize spells just by saying the words. You have to learn what each of the Words of Power mean and then match them with the effect of the magic," Leafa explained.

The swordsmen groaned. "Seriously? I didn't think I had to learn words from another language while playing a video game," Kirito complained.

"Oh, and FYI. The higher ranked spells have about twenty words in them," Thorrnn added.

"Ah crap. I think I'll just stick with my sword," the Spriggan said.

"Ditto," Marth added.

Suddenly Yui popped out of her father's pocket. "Daddy, I'm detecting movement behind us," she said.

Kirito immediately went on guard. "Are they monsters?" he asked.

Yui shook her head. "No, they're players. About eighteen of them and they're heading this way," the pixie replied.

"You're kidding. I've got a bad feeling about this," Leafa said. "We should hide and let them pass us."

"Okay, but how?" Marth asked while looking around. He didn't see a place that looked like a good place for them to hide in.

Thorrnn simply smirked. "Don't worry. Leave that to me," she said before leading the group into a small opening in the wall. She then faced the corridor and chanted a concealment spell, which gave off the illusion of a wall in front of them. She whispered, "We can talk but we have to be very quiet. If you're too loud, the spell will break."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

"The players will be coming into view really soon," Yui warned.

The group stared in the direction they came from, and the boys saw something odd.

"I don't see any players," Marth muttered. "But I see some weird creature."

Leafa looked at the Spriggan in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"He's right," Kirito said. "Something's out there. It's small and has red eyes… almost like a bat."

Leafa and Thorrnn looked harder into the darkness and saw a small pair of glowing red eyes staring right at them. The Sylphs gasped in shock before jumping out of the illusion, breaking the spell.

"Why'd you two break our cover?" Kirito asked girls.

"Because that bat is a high-level Tracer. We have to destroy it," Leafa replied before quickly casting a wind attack spell that destroyed the bat. She then turned towards her party members. "Hurry! We have to run!" She sprinted in the opposite direction with Thorrnn right behind her.

"Can't we just hide again?" Marth asked as he and Kirito followed after them.

"Those players already know we're here thanks to that Tracer. Hiding won't help us at all," Thorrnn answered. "Besides, that bat was fire-element familiar, which means the ones that are chasing us are…"

"The Salamanders," Marth finished in a bitter tone.

The group continued running and saw the neutral town Legrue, which was surrounded by a giant lake. The only thing connecting the town were two bridges on the north and south sides of it.

"Whoa," Kirito said in awe. "What a cool lake."

"We'll be safe if we can get to Legrue," Leafa said quickly.

The group were able to make it to the bridge without much trouble.

"It looks like we're gonna make it," Kirito said.

"Watch where you're going, or you'll fall into the lake," Thorrnn warned.

Suddenly a wall of earth rose up and blocked the gate into Legrue.

"Damn it," Marth said in frustration before he and Kirito drew their swords. They jumped high into the air and slashed their swords against the wall. However, they ended up getting repelled and fell flat on their backs. The wall was unscathed.

The Sylphs quickly went over to the duo. "That's not gonna work," Thorrnn explained. "It's an «Earth Barrier» spell. You can bash on it as much as you want, but you won't even be able to scratch it."

"Why didn't you warn us sooner?" Kirito complained.

Leafa put her hands on her waist. "It's not our fault that you and Marth are in a hurry," the Sylph replied.

The boys quickly got up. "Can we swim in the lake to go around it?" Kirito questioned.

The green-haired Sylph shook her head. "Not unless you want to be dinner. The lake is filled with high-level monsters. Without an Undine backing you up, it's suicide to go in," she explained.

After hearing that, the male duo turned towards the way they came. "Then it looks like our only option is to fight," Kirito said.

Marth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We'll have to take these guys down if we want to move forward."

"I won't argue with that, but we have to be careful. If this Salamander group can use high-level Earth magic, then that means they have a powerful mage with them," Leafa warned.

The group watched as the Salamander attack squad closed in on them.

"Leafa, Thorrnn, don't take this the wrong way. You're both good fighters but can you two act as support for this fight?" Kirito requested. "I need you two to focus on healing Marth and me, so we don't have to worry about our HP."

The girls nodded and jumped back all the way to the earthen wall. The Darkness Duo charged at the six Salamanders in front with shields. The red fairies went into a defense formation as the duo swung their swords at them, each hitting half of them. Even though the Salamanders blocked the attacks with their shields, the force from the impact reduced their HP by half. Marth and Kirito gasped when they saw six mages behind the Salamander shield wall use a healing spell which restored the front squad group's HP to full. The final squad in the back then chanted a fire spell, pushing the duo back while bringing their HP to the yellow zone after being hit by a barrage of fireballs. The Spriggans fell to their knees in exhaustion while using their swords to support themselves.

Thorrnn and Leafa gritted their teeth in frustration before quickly chanting a healing spell on Spriggans. The boys then smirked as their HP restored to full and their stamina restored. They got back up and charged at the shield Salamanders again, but things ended up repeating themselves as the mages ended up healing their comrades again. As the Darkness Duo jumped back in retreat, they were hit by another barrage of fireballs. The Sylphs then quickly healed them and watched as the boys got back up. In front of them was a wall of fire, which momentarily prevented them from charging back in.

"That's enough, Marth and Kirito!" Thorrnn exclaimed. "At this rate, you'll both run out of HP before the Salamanders do!"

"We should give up while we can. If we die, it just means we have to do a couple more hours of flying!" Leafa added.

The boys looked over their shoulders and eyed the girls. "Not happening," Marth said, shocking the female duo.

"As long as I'm alive, I'm not gonna let any of my party members die," Kirito said, his eyes full of rage and determination. "I won't let that happen again."

"And I'm not gonna watch any of my friends get hurt," Marth finished, his eyes unwavering.

The Darkness Duo looked in front of them and watched the fire part away. They then let out a battle cry and charged at the Salamanders again. Kirito went to the right side while Marth went to the left. Instead of attacking, they used their other hands and pulled parts of the shield wall apart before filling the gap with their swords.

"Wh-what the hell are they doing?!" one of the shield-users exclaimed in shock.

The Spriggans were forced back when they saw the second squad of mages preparing to bombard them with another magic attack, but the Salamanders were taking their time chanting the spell. Yui had left her father's side to tell an idea she had to the Sylphs.

"I hope Yui's plan works otherwise this might be it for us," Marth said, having already heard it before their last charge.

The Spriggan let out a light chuckle. "Have a little faith in your niece. Has she ever let us down before?" Kirito replied.

"True."

The Darkness Duo then heard Thorrnn and Leafa chant a different spell. The girls managed to finish their spell a split second before the other mages and a swarm of butterflies flew over to the male duo and turned into a blue force field.

"Now's your chance! Do it now Daddy, Uncle Marth!" Yui shouted as she watched an assault of fireballs hitting the shield from Leafa's shoulder.

Kirito and Marth then began chanting a spell themselves, a spell the Sylphs recognized immediately.

"They're using illusion magic," Leafa said. "But all that's gonna do is make them look like monsters."

The fire circled around the Darkness Duo like a tornado as Kirito morphed into a giant monster that resembled Gleam Eyes, but it was black instead of blue, had a regular tail, and glowing red eyes, as well as a blue goatee. Marth, on the other hand, changed into a giant black dragon with glowing golden eyes and multiple horns protruding from the back of his head. Everyone else, except Yui who looked ecstatic about the results, looked at the duo in surprise.

"Are those Marth and Kirito?" Thorrnn asked in shock. The Sylphs could feel something was different about the Dark Swordsman's transformation, something powerful.

Marth and Kirito let out a mighty roar, effectively breaking the first squad's formation as they stepped back in fear. The Darkness Duo charged at the players, each killing one by slashing at them with their claws.

"You idiots! Don't break formation!" the leader (name is Gtacs) of the squad yelled, trying to calm his troops down, but failed miserably. "It's just an illusion! Those guys can't hurt us if you all stick to the plan and stay in formation!"

Marth finished off two more Salamanders by swinging his tail and knocking them sky high. Kirito slammed his right hand on the ground, which killed another two players.

Gtacs started to panic as he watched his team get cut down by two players. "H-hit them with an explosion spell! Hurry!" he ordered while stuttering. The mages started to chant the spell, but Marth and Kirito weren't going to let them finish.

They growled menacingly and charged at the mages at high speed, prompting the fairies to freak out and mess up their chanting, stopping the spell. Kirito chomped down on one of them before slashing at three of them with his claws, killing them. Marth unleashed a stream of black fire from his mouth, killing another three mages.

"Yay!" Yui cheered with a big smile on her face, while Leafa and Thorrnn were rendered speechless.

Gtacs pointed his staff at the duo with a small fire lit at the end of it, but the flame quickly went out. Marth and Kirito then stomped a foot on the ground and let out a terrifying roar.

"R-retreat! Retreat!" the mage leader ordered, but Kirito quickly jumped over them and blocked their escape route.

Kirito and Marth each swung their claws at two mages, killing them instantly. Gtacs's eyes were filled with fear as his comrades erupted into flames in front of him, signaling their deaths. He ran to the side of the bridge and climbed on the railing/small wall before jumping into the lake. He screamed as he was killed by the water monsters that dwelt within, leaving a red Remain Light floating on the surface of the water. Kirito then grabbed the final Salamander and prepared to kill him.

"Wait, Kirito! Don't kill him!" Leafa shouted as she and Thorrnn ran to them.

Surprisingly, the Spriggan obeyed and dropped the mage on the ground.

"Isn't my family amazing?" Yui asked cheerfully.

The Salamander mage held his head. "Ow. That really hurt," he said before he found two swords pointing at him.

"If you want to live, then you better tell us why you attacked us," Thorrnn demanded.

The mage quickly shook his head. "No way. I won't talk," he refused. The girls prepared to kill him but were interrupted by two voices.

"That was awesome!" Marth said excitedly, now back as a fairy.

"Yeah! I totally felt like a monster," Kirito replied who also back to normal.

The Spriggans walked over to Salamander and knelt beside him. They were both smiling.

"You guys put up a good fight," Kirito said. "Your plan wasn't that bad either."

Marth nodded. "Yep. If Kirito and I were alone, we couldn't have lasted two minutes against you dorks," he added, getting confused looks from the mage and the girls.

"Why are you guys telling him that?" Leafa asked.

Kirito gave the blonde Sylph a wink. "Leave this to us," he replied before he and Marth showed the mage their new item notices. "This is all the Yuld and items my partner and I got from kicking your asses. If you answer all our questions, we'll give them to you."

The mage's eyes widened eagerly. "Really? You promise?"

Marth nodded. "Yup. Everything we earned from this fight."

The boys shared a laugh, showing that an agreement was made. The girls turned their backs in disgust.

"Ugh, men," Leafa said bitterly.

"It's always money and gear they want in a game," Thorrnn replied. Yui nodded in agreement.

The mage told the group that when he logged on today, he got an alert from Gtacs, the leader of the mage squad, about him needing seventeen other people in a group to hunt for four players.

"When I first heard that, I thought it was overkill, but then he said that those players beat Kagemune's group, so I understood why," he explained.

"Who's Kagemune?" Kirito asked.

"He leads the lance squad and is known for hunting Sylphs," the mage continued. "Yesterday his party got creamed in a fight and was forced to retreat. That was you guys, wasn't it?"

"Why was Gtacs so interested in killing us?" Leafa asked.

"He said something about you guys messing with the plan," the mage answered. "I'm just a grunt so he didn't go into greater detail about what it was. But I've got a feeling that something big is about to happen because when I logged on, I saw a large group of Salamander troops mobilizing to the north."

Thorrnn looked puzzled. "Are they going to try to clear the World Tree?"

The mage shook his head. "I doubt it. Someone figured that we need Ancient-weapon class equipment in order to conquer the World Tree and we can't afford that at the moment," he replied. He faced the Spriggans. "That's all I know. You two weren't lying about my payment, were you?"

Marth and Kirito shook their heads. "Nope. We never go back on our word," the black-eyed Spriggan said.

They gave the mage what they promised and watched him walk away before the group headed for Legrue.

"So, those giant monsters, were they you two or illusions?" Thorrnn asked nervously.

Marth and Kirito thought for a moment. "I don't really remember," Kirito replied.

"Neither do I," the other Spriggan added.

"Seriously?" Leafa asked confused.

The Spriggan shrugged. "Sometimes when Marth and I fight, we snap and can't recall what happened," he explained. "I remember most of what happened during this fight though. I know that I used the spell that Yui suggested. I remember how cool it was getting really big, losing my sword and grabbing people."

Marth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I remember using that same spell, as well as me tearing people up with my claws and using that breath attack on them. It made me feel like I was a real monster. Although, my transformation felt a little weird. Like it was more than just a simple appearance change."

Leafa looked like she wanted to ask something else, but Thorrnn stopped her by grabbing the Sylph's shoulder and shaking her head. Since the mage who cast the «Earth Barrier» spell died, the wall had disappeared which allowed the group to go into town.

"This place is so cool!" Thorrnn said excitedly before going to a vender store with Leafa right behind her. Yui chose to tag along, thinking it would be fun shopping.

The Darkness Duo chose to let the girls be and watched from the sidelines.

"Hey Kirito," Marth said.

"What is it?"

"You get the feeling like you know Thorrnn and Leafa, IRL I mean?"

The Spriggan nodded. "Yeah, for some reason Leafa reminds me of Sugu. Don't know why, though."

"I got a similar vibe from Thorrnn. She acts a lot like Meg. You don't think…" Marth shook his head. "Nah, never mind."

Kirito then noticed a curious look on his partner's face. "Something else on your mind?"

Marth shook his head. "No, it's nothing."

The Black Swordsman smirked. "Yeah right. We both know you can't hide anything from me. It's what that Salamander said, isn't it?"

The Dark Swordsman sighed in defeat. "Yeah. I can't help but think that the Salamanders are up to something. Why would they send an army of players up north if they're not attempting to clear the World Tree?"

"Who knows? We don't have the time to investigate though. We need to get to the top of the World Tree to save Asuna and Yuuki."

"You're right."

The girls soon rejoined the boys and they left the town of Legrue. It took them fifteen minutes to get out of the cave. Once they were out, they immediately took flight once more. The in-game sky was sunny despite it being night in the real world.

Thorrnn let out a heavy yawn. "Maybe we should've stayed in Legrue," she suggested. "It's 10:30. We should find a town to log out so we can rest for the night."

"Agreed," Marth said. "Let's land at the first town we see."

After a few minutes of flying, a small town came into view. The fairies immediately descended towards it when suddenly a giant worm monster burst from it and swallowed them whole.

"What's going on?!" Kirito exclaimed as he and his friends were engulfed by the monster.

Apparently four fairies didn't taste very good because the monster spat them out after a few minutes. They all landed on the ground in different positions.

"What in the world just happened?" Leafa asked.

"We got swallowed by a giant worm which spat us out when it decided we didn't taste good," Kirito said matter-of-factly.

Leafa glared at the Spriggan. "I know that! I meant why did that happen?" she said angrily.

"Uh, guys. Now's not the time to start an argument," Marth said suddenly.

Everyone turned and saw the Dark Swordsman on his feet. The other fairies finally looked around them and saw that they were in a frozen wasteland with a couple large boulders scattered across the land. The sky was very cloudy, so they couldn't see the sun. The rest of the party stood up and joined the blue-eyed Spriggan. The girls were slightly shivering due to how cold it was.

"Where are we?" Kirito asked nervously.

Yui came out of the Spriggan's pocket and landed on his shoulder. "We're in Jotunheim," the Navigation Pixie explained. "It's a land beneath Alfheim and the World Tree."

Marth gritted his teeth. "Great. How are we going to get out of this place?" he asked as he stared at the frozen land.

**To be continued**


	24. Jotunheim, the Frozen Land

Sugou visited Asuna and Yuuki again. As usual, they refused to give themselves to the Game Master.

"Unbelievable," Sugou complained. "Your bodies aren't real, so I can't hurt you. Why not just let go and enjoy yourselves?"

"You wouldn't understand," Asuna said. "It doesn't matter to me whether my body is real or virtual."

"Ditto," Yuuki said. "You may not think that way, but we do."

"Do you think that would get you corrupted or something?" Sugou questioned. "If that's the case then you both need to take things less seriously while you're both here."

"Yuuki and I won't be here much longer," Asuna vowed. "You'll see. They'll come and save us."

"Really?" Sugou said in mock curiosity. "Would those be both of your hero boyfriends who go by the names Kirito and Marth?"

Both girls gasped in surprise.

"Did you think I wouldn't know? Their real names are Kazuto Kirigaya and Frank Storm. I met them in the real world just the other day in your hospital room, Asuna. I couldn't believe those weak little boys were the ones who cleared Sword Art Online. It took me a moment to collect myself. I told them I would be marrying you and you should've seen their reactions. Kirito looked ready to cry and Marth looked like he'd explode. It took all I had to keep myself from laughing!"

Yuuki gritted her teeth in anger while Asuna looked in the mirror.

"You know what? I bet those brats are so scared of virtual reality they wouldn't have the guts to put on the NerveGear ever again. That reminds me. I promised I'd send them both a wedding invitation. I'm pretty sure they'll come, especially Kirito. He'd want to see you in that wedding dress. The least I can do is throw the 'heroes' a few scraps." Sugou cackled in amusement.

"Well I have to get going now, Titania, Yuuki. I hope you both won't miss me too much." Sugou entered the password and exited the cage. Unbeknownst to him, however, Asuna and Yuuki watched him enter it in the mirror, which was unaffected by the system.

"What'd I tell you?" Yuuki said with pride. "I said I'd find a way to get us out of here and I delivered."

"Great job, Yuuki. Now that we've memorized the password, we can get escape this stupid cage."

**Meanwhile**

The party were trudging through the snow looking around for an exit. They had tried to summon their wings to fly, but Yui explained that it wasn't possible since players were unable to fly in Jotunheim, as it was a no-fly zone. However, Yui was still able to fly since she wasn't a player.

Leafa rubbed her arms together trying to stay warm. "This place is freezing," the Sylph said. "Let's get out of here before we freeze to death."

"It's not that bad," Kirito said, who was unfazed by the cold. "I've been in colder places before."

"So have I," Marth replied. "We did train in cold areas before, but I doubt Thorrnn and Leafa did so too."

Kirito scratched his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, good point."

Soon the fairies arrived at a cliff overlooking a frozen lake. Right by the water were two large monsters, who were fighting each other. The first one was a four-armed yellow giant that was wielding a one-edged sword in each hand. It was wearing a pair of blue trousers and its head was brown and had four red eyes.

The other monster looked even weirder to the fairies. It was white and looked like a cross between a jellyfish and an elephant. It had the body of a jellyfish and the head of an elephant. It also had six blue eyes. The fairies silently observed the battle between the two monsters.

"What in the?" Marth questioned. "Why are those monsters fighting each other?"

Kirito shrugged. "I don't know, but it looks like Four Arms there is winning."

Both Leafa and Thorrnn's eyes filled with dread.

"Kirito. You and Marth have got to save that jellyfish monster," Leafa pleaded.

Thorrnn faced the other Spriggan. "She's right. That monster doesn't deserve being beaten by that giant bully," she said in agreement. "We have to help it."

The Darkness Duo slouched over in exasperation. "Seriously?" Kirito said, sounding unamused. "You want us to go save some weird monster from another weird monster?"

Both girls glared daggers at the Spriggans. The male duo let out a heavy sigh in defeat. "Alright, fine. We'll do it," Marth said finally, prompting the girls to smile. "But Four Arms looks way too strong for the four of us to handle. The best we can do is find a way to give that jellyfish the advantage."

Kirito then noticed a frozen lake a few meters behind the jellyfish. "There's a lake over there," Kirito said as pointed towards it. "If we can lure Four Arms onto the ice, its weight should cause it to fall through it. Since the other one looks like a jellyfish, maybe getting it into the water will give it the edge it needs to defeat the giant."

Marth nodded in agreement. "Good idea. Now let's just hope that jellyfish doesn't turn on us after its finished beating that other monster."

Leafa shook her head. "There's no way that jellyfish would hurt us after we help it," the Sylph said. "I bet it'll be really grateful for the assistance."

Kirito just sighed. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

Yui quickly hid inside her father's coat pocket before the group jumped off the cliff. Right before they hit the ground, the fairies managed to roll and land on one knee, minimizing the fall damage.

"Well, here goes nothing," Kirito muttered to his friends before yelling to the giant, "Hey ugly! Try picking on someone smaller than you or are you too dumb to try?!"

The four-armed giant turned and looked down at the fairies. Judging by its body language, Kirito's taunt worked. The monster started to charge at them. The group used their small size to their advantage and slipped under the giant, causing it to crash into the cliff. It quickly recovered and went after the fairies.

"Now for the hard part," Marth said as they ran to the frozen lake.

Leafa looked at the jellyfish and gestured for it to follow them. "C'mon! We're here to help you!" she told the monster. Marth could've sworn that he saw the monster's eyes widen in gratitude. Much too both the Spriggans' surprise, the jellyfish followed them while managing to keep its distance from Four Arms.

They managed to reach the frozen lake and got to the center of it before the giant stepped on it. After it went a few feet, the ice started to crack from the strain of the giant's weight. Soon the ice beneath it gave way, causing the giant to fall into the freezing water. Sensing an opportunity to strike, the jellyfish jumped on the giant and wrapped its tentacles around it before dragging the giant under the water. While the fairies couldn't see what was happening, they saw light from electricity spread under the ice.

"Please tell me that was the jellyfish winning," Marth said nervously.

As if on cue, the jellyfish surfaced and approached the fairies. Marth and Kirito immediately went on guard, while Leafa and Thorrnn simply walked towards the giant beast.

"Leafa. Thorrnn. What do you two think you're doing?" Kirito asked quickly.

The girls rubbed the monster's trunk. "You're safe now," Leafa told it. "That big bully won't be coming back anytime soon."

Much to the boys' surprise, the monster didn't attack them. Instead it let out a roar in gratitude.

"He's so cute! He needs a name," Thorrnn said before facing her friend. "Leafa, what do you think of calling him 'Tonky'?"

The blonde-haired Sylph nodded in agreement. "I like it," she replied. The monster then let out a roar in approval. "It looks like he likes it too. Tonky it is then."

The Darkness Duo groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. Did they seriously just name that thing?" Marth complained.

"Looks that way. I just hope that it isn't a tamed monster," Kirito replied. "How the heck are we supposed to get to the World Tree while we're bringing along a giant flightless jellyfish thing?"

Yui then came out of her father's pocket and flew in front of the duo. "Relax, Daddy. That monster means us no harm," the pixie reassured.

The duo then felt something grabbing their hands and leading them forward. It was none other than the Sylph girls.

"Don't be rude, Marth. You too, Kirito," Thorrnn said as she and Leafa dragged them towards Tonky. They stopped when they got close to the jellyfish. "Tonky, this is Marth and Kirito." She then gently nudged the blue-eyed Spriggan.

Marth and Kirito looked completely lost on what's happening, but reluctantly decided to be friendly to the monster. "Uh… hi Tonky," Marth said hesitantly. "It's nice, uh, to meet you."

Yui energetically introduced herself to Tonky. Kirito also greeted it, but without the enthusiasm.

"So how are we gonna get out of here again?" Kirito asked the group because they still didn't have a plan on how to get out of Jotunheim.

"There are four staircase dungeons that connect Arun to Jotunheim," Leafa explained. "They're located at the cardinal points of a compass. The only problem is that the monsters here are Evil-God type monsters, and they're very powerful. Not even General Eugene could win against them during his first trip here."

"Who's General Eugene?" Marth asked curiously.

"He's the commander of the Salamander army. He's also one of the strongest players in ALO."

"Wow," Kirito mused. "If we weren't in a rush, I'd be interested in fighting him."

Marth chuckled in amusement. "Of course, you'd think that. Maybe you'll get a chance to, eventually."

Tonky then let out a roar.

"He wants us to get on his back," Yui explained. "Tonky wants to help us leave Jotunheim."

While the girls were thrilled about this, the boys weren't so sure. The Beast-type monster gently picked up the girls with his trunk-like nose and set them on his back.

"Is this a good idea?" Kirito asked his partner while Yui flew to join the Sylphs.

Marth shrugged. "I don't know, Kirito. I'm not sensing any dark intent from Tonky and Yui said that he doesn't want to harm us," the Spriggan said. "To doubt Tonky would be us doubting Yui, and she's never let us down before."

Kirito nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I guess we'll just have to trust in our new friend," he said.

Tonky then helped the male duo onto his back. As soon as everyone was on, Tonky started to head out.

Marth then asked, "Did you guys tame Tonky? Is that why he's helping us?"

"Nope. It's not possible to tame the monsters in Jotunheim," Thorrnn explained. "Not even if you were a master tamer with special equipment. All we did was befriend Tonky."

Marth held his chin in his hand. " _Interesting. I wonder if there's more to the story than we know. It can't be a coincidence that Tonky was fighting that four-armed monster._ " The Spriggan's thoughts were interrupted when Tonky suddenly stopped in front of a large void.

"Why'd we stop?" Kirito asked.

"Maybe Tonky's journey is over," Leafa guessed.

The fairies then climbed off of the Beast-type monster's back and looked around for an exit.

"There's one over there!" a voice exclaimed. "Let's kill it!"

The group turned towards the source and saw a large party of Undines heading towards them and Tonky. Marth could tell their race due to the light blue hair.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" the first Undine demanded. "Why aren't you trying to take out that monster?"

Leafa narrowed her eyes in anger. "Why should we? We helped Tonky beat another monster so we're friends now," she replied.

The Undines were shocked before they quickly snapped out of it. "You can't tame the monsters here," the second Undine remarked. "If you're not gonna kill it, then we will."

The other members pushed the group to the side and proceeded to attack Tonky. The monster screeched in pain as he was hit by both magic and steel.

The Darkness Duo clenched their fists in anger while the girls were filled with dread.

"We have to do something," Leafa pleaded. "We can't just let those guys kill Tonky after he tried to help us."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Leafa. We won't," the Spriggan reassured.

The fairies drew their weapons and prepared for battle. "Let's go," Marth declared before they charged at the hunting group.

Their sudden attack caught the bigger group off-guard and the four players managed to kill ten of them before being surrounded by the rest.

"Bad move," the group's leader said to the quartet. "You four just got yourselves killed."

Marth and Kirito gritted their teeth as they realized that the player was right. "There's too many of them," Marth told his party members.

The group braced for the end, but suddenly Tonky let out a load roar and began to light up. The Beast-type monster then sprouted wings and let out a high-class spell called «Dispel Field», which took out the remaining members of the hunting party.

The Sylphs went to thank Tonky for saving them while Marth and Kirito stared in both shock and awe. "Just when I was getting used to riding on the back of a giant jellyfish," Marth said. "Now it goes and grows wings."

"I don't think we'll ever fully understand Tonky," Kirito replied. "Let's just drop it."

"Agreed," Marth said before the duo walked to join their fellow party members.

"Isn't Tonky amazing?" Leafa asked excitedly as she hugged the beast's nose.

The boys let out a light chuckle before Tonky gestured that he wanted to give them another ride, which they gladly accepted. After everyone was on his back, Tonky took off into the sky.

"You know what? He's actually starting to grow on me," Marth admitted.

Kirito cracked a smile. "Same here. Now that Tonky here has wings, we have a way to fly here in Jotunheim. We can get an aerial view of the area from up here."

Thorn looked up at the sky and noticed something odd. "Hey guys! Look!" she exclaimed as pointed towards it.

"What the heck?" Marth and Kirito said in sync as they saw an upside-down pyramid made entirely of ice hanging from ceiling of Jotunheim, just below the roots of the World Tree. Due to it being so high up, it would've been impossible to see it from the ground. The fairies then noticed two shining objects at the bottom of the pyramid.

"What's that?" Leafa asked curiously before asking Tonky to fly closer so they could get a better look.

Tonky did what was requested and helped his fairy friends get a closer look. The players' eyes widened when they saw two golden long swords inside it. The first sword had green gems on the hilt and had a blade-like cross-guard. The second sword was on the right side of the other and it looked exactly like Marth's Lunara, except it had a blue gem instead of an onyx one in the hilt. They were both stuck in ice podiums.

"It can't be?" Leafa said completely stunned.

"Impossible," Thorrnn said in disbelief.

The boys faced the Sylphs with confused looks. "Mind telling us about why you're both shocked about those two swords?" Kirito asked impatiently.

Leafa and Thorrnn looked the respective Spriggans in the eye. "The sword on the left is the Legendary-class weapon called the Holy Sword Excalibur," Leafa explained. "The second one is the Radiant Blade Solaris, which is another Legendary weapon."

The male duo quickly looked at the blades in awe. "No way!?" the Darkness Duo shouted in shock.

"If you guys are planning on trying to retrieve them, don't. I doubt we could clear the dungeon they're in by ourselves," Thorrnn said. "We should return once we have more people to do it."

Both Marth and Kirito let out a disappointed sigh as Tonky flew away from the pyramid fortress. "You're right, Thorrnn," Marth said as the dungeon disappeared from view. "We'll come back for them at a later date."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It might be best if we don't tell people about this too," he said. "If the other players found out about it, they'll grind like crazy in that dungeon to get the swords."

The girls laughed a little before they nodded in agreement. Tonky then took the fairies to a stone pillar with stairs that were connected to the surface. They all got off of Tonky's back and said goodbye to the monster. Leafa quickly taught the flying jellyfish to come when she whistled. After she finished, Tonky flew away.

Leafa looked sad as if she was worried about her friend's safety. Kirito then put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Leafa," he said. "Since Tonky is able to fly now, he can avoid enemies more easily. You'll see him again."

The Sylph formed a light smile. "Thanks Kirito," she said.

"Let's get going," Marth said with his right arm on his waist. "We've been online for more than eight hours. We should get to Arun and so we can logout and get some rest."

"Right," everyone else said in agreement.

The fairies ran up the stairs to the surface. On the way up Marth found his thoughts on Solaris and the story Celina told him about in SAO. " _It can't a coincidence that Solaris looked exactly like Lunara. I'll come back for it when I'm stronger,_ " Marth thought. " _I'm pretty sure that Kirito wants to get Excalibur too. I've got a feeling that those swords will come in handy in the future._ " He looked over to his best friend and saw that the Spriggan had the same idea. They silently promised each other to return to Jotunheim and retrieve the legendary swords. The group continued running up the stairs and back to Alfheim.


	25. The World Tree

**January 22, 2025**

After spending five minutes climbing up a nearly endless staircase, the fairies finally reached the end and entered the city of Arun. The city was huge and was right next to the World Tree.

"It's about time we got here," Marth said slightly relieved.

Kirito nodded. "Yeah," the Spriggan agreed. "I thought it would take us forever to get here."

The group then heard the system announcing that the servers will be down for maintenance and that all players must log out.

"We better find an inn to stay in," Thorrnn suggested after the system's announcement. "Besides it's really late."

"Alright," Kirito said. "Yui, can you find us an inn?"

"Leave it to me, Daddy." Yui paused before leading the fairies to an inn.

The fairies got two rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls.

"I can't believe how close we are to rescuing Yuuki and Asuna," Marth said.

Kirito nodded in agreement. "I know. This'll be our hardest fight yet. We're gonna have to beat a raid that not even the biggest raid group could clear."

"We've got our work cut out for us, haven't we? See you tomorrow, Kirito?"

"Okay. Good night, Marth."

The Spriggans then logged off.

**The Next Day**

Frank and Meg were in the kitchen having breakfast. Frank noticed his sister yawning in exhaustion.

"Someone's tired," Frank said. "What time did you go to bed?"

"I don't know. Around 2 or something."

"Wow, that's a new record for you. What were you doing?"

"Uh, nothing. Just messing around online," Meg said.

"Just don't go overboard, okay?" Frank said. _"Yeah, right. Like I'm one to talk."_

"So what's on the agenda for you today?" Meg asked.

Frank was silent for a moment. "I'll probably go visit Yuuki in the hospital, then I've got plans with Kazuto in the afternoon."

"Can I come with you?" Meg asked. "I want to meet the girl my brother is so smitten with."

Frank cracked a light smile. "Sure."

**Later**

Frank and Meg went to the bus stop, where they ran into Kazuto and Suguha.

"Hey!" Kazuto said. "You guys going to the hospital too?"

Meg nodded. "Yep. Frank's gonna introduce me to Yuuki."

"Talk about a coincidence," Sugu said. "Kazuto is taking me to see Asuna."

When the bus came, the teens boarded it and took seats right in the back.

"I just realized," Meg said. "What's going on with school for you two? You and Kazuto were supposed to start high school last year and it would suck if you two got too behind."

"Yeah, well the government said something about us attending school in the city," Frank said. "Apparently they're forming a school for all the SAO Survivors who were in school to help them catch up. You don't even need to take a test to enter and when you graduate, you can take the college entrance exams."

"That's a pretty good deal," Sugu said. "But why are they cramming you all together like that?"

"To keep an eye on us, no doubt," Kazuto said. "We spent two years trapped inside a death game, so they don't know what effect it had on our brains. This way they can watch us all at once."

"Seriously?" Suguha asked.

"Frank and I could try to get into a normal high school, but it would be way too hard," Kazuto continued. "We'd have to spend a year at cram school, but then we'd be starting from scratch. Although, we could take the exams now and see what happens, but I doubt we'd pass."

"But you're both really smart and make good grades," Meg stated.

"We _used_ to make good grades," Frank corrected. "Neither of us have studied for two years, remember?"

"I know. Meg and I could tutor you," Sugu offered.

Kazuto smiled smugly. "Really? Then maybe you can help us with math and information technology."

Sugu cringed as she remembered that she wasn't as knowledgeable with technology as her brother. Soon the bus arrived at the hospital. The teens went to the floor Asuna and Yuuki were on before splitting into two groups.

" 'Asuna Yuuki'," Sugu read. "So she used her real name? Not many players do that."

"I'm surprised you know that," Kazuto said as the siblings entered the room. "Asuna and Yuuki are the only players I met that used their own names for their handles. Kind of funny that Asuna's last name is the same as Yuuki's first name. Asuna was the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. People called her the Lightning Flash because of how fast she was with her rapier. I could never match her speed in battle."

"Wow," Suguha replied. "She sounds amazing."

"She is," Kazuto said slowly.

**Later**

Marth found himself back at the inn, where the rest of his party members spawned in. After a couple minutes, the group exited the inn.

"There's tons of people here," Leafa commented as they wandered around the city.

"I guess Arun really is the center of Alfheim," Kirito said.

"Arun is the biggest city in Alfheim," Thorrnn explained. "Here, all the different races live together and don't fight each other."

The group reached an arch and looked up at the World Tree.

"Wow," Leafa said. "The World Tree looks even more amazing from up close."

"Didn't you say there's supposed to be a city on top of it?" Marth asked.

"Yep. That's where Oberon the Fairy King lives alongside the Alfs, the Fairies of Light. The first race to meet the king become Alfs."

"Can you climb the tree?" Kirito asked.

"Nope," Thorrnn said. "They made the whole perimeter of the trunk off-limits, so you can't get close enough to climb it. You can't fly to the top either since your wings would expire before you could get even halfway up."

"Marth and I heard about a group of players that got more than halfway up by piggybacking each other."

"Yeah, we heard about them," Leafa said, "but they could only reach the lowest branches. The GMs freaked out when they found out. They put a barrier right above the clouds, so no one could try it again."

"Well that's a bummer," Marth said. "I guess we'll just have to get there the hard way."

The group went past the arch, when suddenly Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket.

"What's wrong, Yui?" Kirito asked in a concerned voice.

"Mommy," Yui said, shocking the boys. "She's here."

"Are you sure?" Kirito asked.

Yui nodded. "I scanned the map two times and it's Mommy's player ID," she explained. "And it's not just her. I'm also detecting Auntie as well."

"What?!" Marth exclaimed in disbelief.

"Their coordinates are above us in the tree," Yui continued before pointing up.

Kirito gritted his teeth and materialized his wings and skyrocketed upward.

"Kirito, wait!" Marth exclaimed before going after the Spriggan.

"Kirito! Marth!" Leafa shouted.

"Damn," Thorrnn said before she and Leafa flew after the boys.

Marth tried to catch up to Kirito as they flew for the top of the World Tree, but the Spriggan was going too fast. Once they passed through a cloud Leafa shouted, "Wait you two! You're going to hit the barrier!?"

True to the Sylph's word, Marth and Kirito flew into an invisible ceiling headfirst. The impact created a couple ripples in the barrier and the male fairies started to fall down.

"Marth! Kirito!" Thorrnn exclaimed in worry.

The boys quickly recovered, prompting Kirito to fly straight at the barrier at high speed again, despite the girls' protests, but things ended up repeating. Before he could try again, Marth grabbed the Spriggan's arm.

"Stop it, Kirito! It's impossible to get any higher from here," Marth pleaded.

"But I have to try," Kirito said stubbornly. "Asuna's close. I have to reach her."

Yui flew over to the barrier. "Mommy! Auntie! I'm here!" she yelled as loud as she could. "I'm with Daddy and Uncle Marth! Mommy! Auntie!"

No one answered back. Yui then flew over and sat on Leafa's hands while her father kept trying to get through the barrier. Instead of ramming himself into it at full force, Kirito resorted to punching it instead. After a few attempts, He were unsuccessful at breaking the barrier.

"Why can't I bust through?" Kirito demanded.

"It's clear that the barrier isn't meant to be broken," Marth theorized. "My guess is that it's an immortal object. That means no matter what we do, it won't break."

"Then we'll have to go through the dungeon to reach the top," Kirito said. "Leafa, Thorrnn, do you know where the entrance is?"

The blonde Sylph nodded. "It's at the base of the World Tree. Wait, you're not thinking of trying to clear it, are you? The biggest raid group in ALO couldn't clear it."

"It doesn't matter. I have to try. You with me, Marth?"

Marth gritted his teeth, not looking too pleased with the idea, but nodded. "I'm with you. Someone's gotta make sure you don't kill yourself."

Kirito smiled gratefully. "Thanks. And thank you Leafa, Thorrnn. We wouldn't have gotten here without you two, but now Marth and I will go on alone."

Yui went into her father's coat pocket. Both Sylphs were stunned and couldn't form a reply. Kirito and Marth then rapidly descended towards the ground. The fairies landed very loudly, attracting a lot of attention from the other players nearby.

"Yui. Can you locate the dome?" Kirito asked his daughter.

"Yes. Just go up those stairs and…" She started to say before her family flew up the stairs. "Daddy. Are you sure that you and Uncle Marth want to do this alone? I'm only asking because based on what we heard, beating this quest is very hard."

"We don't a have a choice, Yui," Kirito said. "Besides, it's not we'll die if we fail."

"That's true but…" Yui said before Marth and Kirito landed at the bottom of the stairs just outside the dome.

"If I have to wait one more second not doing anything, I'm gonna lose my mind," Kirito said before petting Yui's head with one finger. "And I know that you want to see Mommy just as badly as I do."

"And I want to see Yuuki too," Marth said as they went up the stairs. "But I'm not sure if the two of us can accomplish what a dungeon raid couldn't do."

"We'll be fine," Kirito assured. "We've been through worse."

"That's true but…" The fairies had reached the top of the stairs. There, they saw a giant stone double-door with two large stone knight statues. The fairies walked over to the door, but before they could go in, the knights blocked the way with their swords.

"Thou knows not the heights of heaven above," one of the statues said. "Does thou seek entry into the castle of the king?"

A notice appeared in front of the duo asking if they want to do the Grand Quest of Alfheim, which they quickly accepted. As soon as they did, the knights pulled back their swords.

"Go then," the other statue said. "Prove thou are worthy of wings. Prove thou are worthy of flight."

As the doors opened up, Marth and Kirito drew their swords.

"Here we go," Kirito said. "Yui. Keep your head down and don't come out until I say so."

"Okay. Be careful, Daddy," the pixie replied. "You too, Uncle Marth."

The group then entered the dome and got in the center of it. The room was a lot bigger than it appeared on the outside. There were tons of spawn points on the walls. At the top of the room was the pathway door leading to the World Tree.

"You ready, Marth?" Kirito asked his best friend.

"Ready as I'll ever be," the Spriggan said.

The duo summoned their wings and flew up towards pathway door. Suddenly, three of the spawn points started to glow and three guardians appeared. They resembled fairies, except they were robotic. The guardians then charged at the raid group.

"Out of the way!" Kirito exclaimed as he stabbed one of the guardians in the neck. He then beheaded it, prompting it to disappear as a cloud of smoke.

Marth cleaved another in two before he and Kirito pressed on.

_"It can't be this easy,"_ Marth thought.

Suddenly more spawn points started to glow, a lot more. The group stopped advancing and saw more guardians than they could count.

"That's just great," Kirito said bitterly.

The fairies split up to take on the guardians separately. Marth cut through two of the NPCs but turned too late to see another one hit him from behind, reducing his HP a little. The Spriggan quickly recovered and swung his sword across its chest, killing it. Marth turned and saw that Kirito was also having trouble against the NPCs. It didn't help that every time they killed three, fifteen more replaced them.

_"There's way too many of them. At this rate we'll be overwhelmed before we can even reach the top,"_ Marth thought to himself as he struggled against the impossible odds.

Kirito had decided to ignore the guardians and flew higher up, prompting Marth to follow after him. Along the way, Marth hacked his way through several guardians, but his HP was in the yellow zone due to the enemies' attacks.

"We're almost there," Kirito said as they were getting close to the pathway.

Suddenly an arrow pierced through Kirito's hand, prompting the Spriggans to look down to see dozens of guardian archers aiming at them. The guardians fired their arrows, creating a rain shower of them.

"There's too many of them!" Marth exclaimed as they were pelted by arrows. "We have to pull back!"

"No way. We're so close," Kirito said stubbornly. "We have to keep going." The Spriggan continued to ascend, completely ignoring the arrows.

"He's gonna get himself killed," Marth muttered as he flew after his friend.

The fairies were stopped when they both got impaled in the chest by a sword. It was followed up by multiple guardian swords.

"Just… a little farther," Kirito struggled to say before both he and his partner's HP hit zero, causing them to turn into black Remain Lights.

The guardian swords fell down before disappearing and the guardians themselves started to return to their spawn points.

A ghostly image of Marth appeared around his flame, looking up at the ceiling. He stared at his resurrection timer _. "Is this a punishment for thinking that this world is just a game?"_ Marth thought. _"For trying to save someone I love. My strength here is just an illusion. They're just a bunch of skills and stats. I should've remembered the limits and rules of this world."_

Suddenly the guardians looked down at the entrance. Marth did the same and saw Leafa and Thorrnn flying towards him and Kirito.

"No!" Marth shouted desperately, despite the fact that no one could hear him in his current state. "Stay back!"

The guardians started to attack the new arrivals. Instead of fighting back, the female duo avoided the enemy attacks and were flying straight for the Remain Lights. Once they were close, Leafa grabbed Kirito's flame while Thorrnn did the same with Marth's. They then flew to the exit as fast as they could, taking a few hits in the process. The doors closed as soon as the group left the dome. Thorrnn and Leafa then set their flames close to the ground and used an item to revive the Spriggans.

"Thanks, Leafa. You too Thorrnn," Kirito said after his revival. He turned towards his fellow Spriggan. "I'm sorry, Marth. My stubbornness got us killed back there."

"It's okay," Marth passed off. "I understand. But you need to be more careful. Next time there might not be anyone to rescue _us_!"

Kirito scratched his head. "Yeah. We can't afford to be reckless. Hey Yui. Did you find anything out about those guardians?"

The pixie materialized on the Spriggan's shoulder. "From what I could tell, each of those monsters have really low stats, but that's not the problem," Yui explained. "It's that there's so many of them that they're like one unbeatable boss. This quest was clearly meant to be impossible to clear. But that's not all I've found."

"What is it?" Marth asked curiously.

"As you and Daddy ascended up the dungeon, I could detect at least 300 players at the top of World Tree."

"300?" Kirito muttered.

"It's probably the Alfs," Leafa guessed. "They are supposed to be in the Floating City above the World Tree."

Yui shook her head. "Sorry Leafa, but that's incorrect. All 300 players had IDs from Sword Art Online."

"What?!" the fairies shouted.

"But how do you know that?" Thorrnn asked in suspicion.

"Because I used to be a program from Sword Art Online," Yui explained. "I know the handles of all the players from SAO because it was my job to monitor their mental states."

Thorrnn held her chin in thought. "Wait a minute. Last I checked, there were 300 SAO Survivors who haven't woken up in the real world yet. Why are they here in Alfheim Online?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it's good," Kirito said. "We need to clear the World Tree ASAP, but we'll need a lot of help. Leafa, Thorrnn, will you help us?"

Both Sylphs looked a little confused but nodded.

"We'll help, but there's no way the four of us can clear the World Tree on our own," Leafa said. "We'll need a large raiding group to stand a chance against the guardians, but where can we find them at such short notice?"

"I can help with that!" a familiar male voice exclaimed.

The group turned towards the source and saw that it was none other than Recon.


	26. General of Blazing Flame

"Recon!" Leafa shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"That's not important right now," Recon said. "I don't understand everything that's going on here, but if you need a raid group, I know where to look."

"Go on," Kirito said.

"Later today, Sakuya and Alicia Rue, the leaders of the Sylph and Cait Sith, are going to meet at the Valley of the Butterflies to discuss an alliance to clear the Grand Quest. If the alliance is made, they can form a large raid group and make an attempt at the World Tree."

"Sweet," Marth said. "We'd pretty much have an army by our side. Is there anything else we need to know?"

Recon nodded nervously. "Yes. Remember the other day when I said something had been bugging me? Well, I've been shadowing Sigurd all day yesterday and today and found out that he's a spy for the Salamanders."

"What?!" the other fairies shouted.

"Have you told anyone else this?" Thorrnn questioned, but Recon shook his head.

"I only found this out a few minutes ago. Earlier today, I was eavesdropping on them before they discovered me. They tried to shoot me with a poison arrow, but I barely managed to escape. Sigurd holds a lot of influence in Sylvain, so I had to flee the city. Luckily I made it to the mage tower and used a portal to get to Arun where I knew I would find you guys."

"Wait, we could've _teleported_ to Arun?!" the Spriggans exclaimed.

Thorrnn and Leafa grinned sheepishly.

"You can," Thorrnn explained, "but portals are only found in racial capitals and can only be used by members of those races. If we tried using the portal in Sylvain, you and Kirito couldn't use it because you're both Spriggans."

"Anyway," Recon continued. "Sigurd knows about the meeting and told the Salamanders about it. They're planning to go and attack them."

The quartet gasped.

"No way!" Leafa exclaimed.

Marth's eyes flashed in realization. "Hold on. Remember what that Salamander we interrogated last night said? He saw a large Salamander group preparing for battle. That must be the attack force that's going to attack the Sylph and Cait Sith meeting."

Leafa locked eyes with her fellow female Sylph. "Thorrnn, we need to go!"

"Right!"

The two Sylphs prepared to take off before being stopped by the Spriggans.

"Wait, you two!" Marth exclaimed.

"We'll come too!" Kirito added.

The Sylphs were shocked. "Why?" Thorrnn questioned. "This is a Sylph problem. You guys don't have to involve yourselves in it."

"It doesn't matter," Kirito argued. "You guys are our friends and we won't let you go alone."

Both Leafa and Thorrnn hesitated before nodding. "All right," the blonde Sylph said. "Come on! We have to hurry!"

The group, along with Recon, then took off into the air and flew towards the Valley of the Butterflies.

"Why would the Salamanders attack the Sylph-Cait Sith summit anyway?" Marth questioned. "What benefits would they get from it?"

"Well for one thing, they'd stop the alliance from happening," Leafa explained. "Plus, if the Cait Sith found out their leader died because a Sylph turned traitor, they'd be pretty pissed. Enough to even declare war."

"Damn," Kirito commented. "That isn't good."

Recon nodded. "It isn't. But that's not the only thing the Salamanders would get. If you kill a race's leader, your race gets thirty percent of its money and can go to their territory and charge whatever taxes you want for a week. The Sylphs are low on funds because the Salamanders killed our previous leader, and we haven't managed to recover from it."

Thorrnn then eyed the Spriggans curiously. "Marth, Kirito, if the Salamanders pull this off, they'll have enough resources to make an attempt on the World Tree. Since you're both Spriggans, they could hire you as mercenaries. You guys don't have to do this."

There was a moment of silence. "It's all just a game in the end, right? If you want to kill, you kill," Kirito said suddenly. "It's the same if you want to steal or anything else."

"A lot of players tend to think that way. Heck, even Kirito and I did, once," Marth added. "But it's all a lie. The player and the character are the same being. If you give into your impulses here in the game, you'll change who you are in the real world too. Someone special taught me that."

"Thorrnn, there's no way me and Marth would attack a friend for our own benefit," Kirito explained. "We couldn't live with ourselves if we did."

Both girls stared at the Darkness Duo in awe.

"Thanks, Kirito, Marth," Thorrnn said.

Suddenly Yui poked her head out of Kirito's coat pocket and said them, "I'm detecting sixty-eight players flying in formation. If what we were told is correct, it could be the Salamander attack force. At the plateau where they're heading has fourteen players, which must be the Sylph and Cait Sith diplomats."

Sure enough, the group could see a large group of Salamanders flying below them.

"No!" Recon exclaimed.

Leafa gritted her teeth in frustration. "We're not going to make it in time to get the commanders out of there," she said before eyeing the Darkness Duo. "Thorrnn, Recon and I are going to try to get Alicia and Sakuya out of there. You guys should head for the World Tree."

Kirito shook his head in protest. "Sorry but running from a fight isn't our style," the Spriggan replied.

"You can't get rid of us that easily," Marth added.

The female players were taken aback from the Spriggans' willingness to help people even when the odds weren't in their favor. They all flew at their top speed towards the players. They then split into groups of two, Kirito and Marth would deal with the Salamanders while Leafa, Recon, and Thorrnn would go to the diplomats. The Salamanders were just about to attack the Sylphs and Cait Siths but were stopped when Kirito and Marth landed between the two opposing factions with a loud boom.

The duo looked up towards the red army. "Salamanders! Stand down, now!" Kirito demanded.

Everyone else was surprised by the sudden arrival of the two Spriggans and trying to stop a fight.

"Who are they?" the Sylph leader asked curiously.

"Sakuya! Alicia!" Leafa exclaimed as she, Recon and Thorrnn landed next to their leaders.

"Leafa? Recon? Thorrnn? What are you all doing here?" Sakuya asked in confusion.

"It's complicated," Recon replied. "But those Spriggans might just be our only hope of surviving this."

Sakuya gritted her teeth. "You've got to be kidding me."

They all turned towards the male duo and watched.

"My partner and I want to speak with your commander, so bring him out!" Marth exclaimed.

A Salamander with short red hair and wearing gold circlet appeared. He had a red two-handed sword strapped to his back. He looked the two fairies in the eyes.

"I am General Eugene of the Salamanders," the commander said. "Since you two are so bold to face me, I'll hear you out. What are two Spriggans like you doing all the way out here?"

Marth and Kirito eyed each other. "Think we should tell them who we are?" the Black Swordsman asked quietly.

The Dark Swordsman nodded. "Yes. We'll need all the help we can get if we want to clear the World Tree."

The Darkness Duo summoned their wings and flew over to the Salamander general.

"My name is Kirito, and this is Marth," the Black Swordsman said. "We're the ones who cleared Sword Art Online two months ago."

Everyone was shocked, especially Leafa and Thorrnn.

"It can't be," Leafa said in disbelief, looking devastated. " _That's_ Kazuto and Frank?"

"I knew their names sounded familiar," Thorrnn said.

The other Sylphs and Cait Siths looked at the duo curiously.

"Do you know those two?" Alicia asked.

Leafa was too shocked to answer, so Thorrnn said, "Marth is my older brother, while Kirito is Leafa's brother."

Recon's eyes widened. "No way! They're your brothers!"

"Listen up!" Marth declared. "There's something everyone here needs to know. A few hours ago, Kirito and I made an attempt on the World Tree. We failed, but we found out something strange. Kirito's private pixie detected 300 player IDs on the top of the World Tree. We have reason to believe that they are the remaining SAO Survivors that haven't woken up in the real world yet!"

Everyone was taken aback at the revelation, except Thorrnn and Leafa. Even Eugene looked surprised.

"What?!" Sakuya shouted. "Are you sure, Spriggan?"

Marth faced her and nodded. "I am. There's no doubt in my mind that they are being held here against their will. Kirito and I, we need your help to reach the top of the World Tree and find out why they're here and free them."

Eugene eyed the Dark Swordsman skeptically. "How do we know that you're not making this up to help the Spriggans become Alves?" he accused. "You Spriggans are known for being tricksters, after all."

Many of the players began muttering amongst themselves, while Marth and Kirito looked unfazed by the accusation.

"We would never lie about something as serious as this!" Kirito retorted. "If our word isn't enough for you, we'll prove it. Just say what we have to do, and we'll do it!"

Eugene smirked as he drew his sword. "According to the rumors, Marth and Kirito were expert swordsmen," the Salamander explained. "If you two can survive my attacks for thirty seconds, I'll believe you."

"How generous of you," Marth said sarcastically as he and Kirito flew to be on equal level with Eugene.

"This isn't good," Sakuya said as she eyed the Salamander commander's sword. "Eugene's sword is the Demonic Sword Gram. It's a Legendary Weapon and requires a «Two-Handed Sword» skill of 950 to equip it. Eugene is also the younger brother of Mortimer, the leader of the Salamanders. They say that gameplay wise Eugene is the strongest player in ALO."

Thorrnn's eyes widened in shock. "No way! He's the strongest player?!" she replied as she watched her brother draw his sword.

As soon as Lunara was out of its sheath, the commanders of the Sylphs, Cait Siths, and Salamander's faces filled with disbelief as they recognized the blade.

"It can't be! That Spriggan has a Lunara?" Alicia exclaimed.

Leafa raised an eyebrow. She had heard about the sword, but not in great detail. All she knew was that the sword was very powerful and that it had a hidden secret.

"What's the big deal?" she asked stupidly.

Sakuya turned towards her fellow Sylph. "The Lunara is a Legendary-class one-handed sword," Sakuya explained. "While not that many players know about its existence, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game. The players that have heard about the sword spent weeks searching for it but always came back empty handed." She raised her eyes at Marth. "However, there are rumors that the Lunara was in Sword Art Online, where it was wielded only by the Dark Swordsman himself. If this Spriggan has it, then there's no doubt that he is the same Marth who beat SAO."

The duelists readied for battle and waited. Rays of light started to come down from the sky, which Eugene used to temporarily blind the Darkness Duo. The Salamander then charged towards the duo and swung his sword at the black-eyed Spriggan. Kirito attempted to block it with his sword, but the Demonic Sword Gram simply phased through it and hit black fairy, knocking him back into a cliff. Eugene followed it up by attacking Marth and got the same result.

"What just happened?" Thorrnn asked in confusion.

"That was the «Ethereal Shift», the sword's bonus skill," Alicia explained. "It allows the Demonic Sword Gram to phase through weapons or shields whenever someone tries to block it."

"You've got to be kidding," Leafa said in shock. "How is anyone supposed to beat that?"

Kirito and Marth quickly recovered and retaliated. Kirito was the first to attack and locked swords with Eugene.

"I'm surprised neither of you are dead," Eugene commented. "Maybe there is some truth in your words…"

"What the hell kind of attack was that?" Kirito exclaimed in frustration.

The two backed off from each other and Eugene hit the Spriggan's waist and then Marth's shoulder and dodged/blocked all of his opponents' attacks. The Darkness Duo, on the other hand, was constantly getting hammered by the Salamander's attacks since they couldn't block them.

"Damn. This guy's really strong," Marth said bitterly.

"No kidding," Kirito said with a nod. "Hey big red, I'm pretty sure thirty seconds have passed since we began."

Eugene smirked. "I've changed my mind. This is now a death match. Now you and your friend will have to wait until I kill you both," he replied before charging again.

Marth and Kirito narrowed their eyes. "Figures. But we're not gonna go down so easy," the blue-eyed Spriggan said before he and his partner flew straight towards the Salamander.

Eugene easily parried all their attacks, despite the number advantage they had, and constantly used the «Ethereal Shift» to damage both Kirito and Marth. Seeing that they needed to try something else, the Darkness Duo made eye contact and silently agreed on what they had to do. They flew away in a retreat manner with Eugene in hot pursuit. Kirito then quickly used a smokescreen spell, covering the area in black smoke.

"What the?" Thorrnn said in surprise as the smoke reached them.

"Sorry, but I need to borrow this," Marth said before grabbing his sister's sword, scabbard and all.

"I need yours too, Leafa," Kirito added as he took the Sylph's katana.

Back in the sky, Eugene exclaimed, "This smoke cloud only bought you a couple seconds!" He then swung his sword fiercely, clearing the smokescreen.

As soon as the smoke parted, the Spriggans were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where'd they go?" Alicia asked as she looked around.

"Maybe they ran away," one of the Cait Sith diplomats suggested.

"No, they didn't. Kirito and Marth would never do that!" Leafa defended.

Thorrnn cupped her hands nervously. _Please don't make us into liars, Frank, Kazuto._

Suddenly everyone heard something coming down at high speed. They all looked up and saw Kirito flying down towards Eugene using the sun to block the Salamander's view. Eugene let out a grunt before rapidly ascending to meet his opponent. His sword managed to phase through Kirito's sword again, but right before it struck the Spriggan's neck, Kirito successfully blocked the Demonic Sword Gram with Leafa's katana, which was in his left hand. Kirito saw the shocked look on Eugene's face and proceeded to push him back. The Spriggan then swung his dual swords at his opponent's chest and wounding the Salamander.

Eugene tried to launch a counter-attack but Kirito dodged it by flying to the side. Marth, who was behind his partner, then stabbed Eugene with his swords, reducing the Salamander's HP very close to the red zone. Eugene grabbed Marth's head in an attempt to push him back while lunging with his sword, but the Dark Swordsman used his left sword to knock the Demonic Sword Gram out of its owner's hand.

The Spriggan let out a battle cry as he swung Thorrnn's sword and struck Eugene's shoulder before proceeding to cut the Salamander in half. An explosion occurred as the general died and his body turned into a Remain Light. Everyone was speechless at the duo's victory. After a few moments, they all cheered, even the Salamanders.

"Nicely done!" Sakuya praised.

"That was the best fight I've ever seen!" Alicia said excitedly

Marth flew over to his partner as they sheathed their right swords. They then did a high-five. "Man, he was tough," Marth said before letting out a heavy sigh. "If it wasn't for our dual-wielding skills, Eugene would've won."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but you gotta admit, that battle was really fun," the Spriggan replied while smiling.

Marth cracked a light grin. "Yeah, you're right."

The duo shared a laugh before returning to the ground and returning their left swords to their owners. Marth then retrieved Eugene's Remain Light, so that they could have Sakuya revive him, which she did. When the Sylph leader finished her spell, the flame changed back into the Salamander general. The Demonic Sword Gram had returned to its sheath on Eugene's back.

Eugene turned towards the Darkness Duo and looked them in the eye. "You're both incredible fighters. You two are probably the strongest players I've ever seen," he admitted.

Marth smirked. "You're not too bad yourself. You definitely kept me and Kirito on our toes more than a couple times," the Spriggan replied.

"It looks like you two are telling the truth," Eugene admitted. "Even before we fought, something told me that you were being honest. I just wanted to see how I'd stack against the legendary Darkness Duo themselves."

Kirito folded his arms. "So what's your answer?" the Black Swordsman asked. "Will you help us?"

Eugene nodded in confirmation. "Yes. The Salamanders will aid you in clearing the World Tree."

"As will the Sylph and Cait Sith," Sakuya added. "With our combined resources, we will succeed."

Both Marth and Kirito eyed the race leaders in gratitude. "Thank you, everyone," the Dark Swordsman said.

"It'll take some time to mobilize our forces," Alicia said. "But if we hurry, we might be able to be ready by tomorrow."

Kirito gritted his teeth but nodded. "We'll be cutting it a little close, but okay." The Spriggan then opened his menu and materialized a bag. "Here, this should help with funding." He handed the bag to Alicia, who nearly dropped it due to its weight.

The Cait Sith leader opened the bag and saw that it was filled to the brim with mithril-silver Yuld. "N-no way! Are you sure you want to give this much money up. You could build a castle on prime land with this."

Kirito shook his head. "Nah, you guys need it more than me. Besides, I doubt I'll be needing that much Yuld, anyway."

Marth chuckled in amusement before materializing a bag of his own, which he gave to Sakuya. "Might as well contribute too. That should be enough Yuld to gear up your raid members."

Sakuya looked stunned at the players' generosity. "B-but why are you doing all this?"

The Darkness Duo lowered their heads. "Among the 300 SAO Survivors that are stilled trapped," Kirito said slowly. "Two of them are people that are very dear to us."

Eugene folded his arms. "So that's it. You two are doing this because your friends are in danger or are they something more than that?" the Salamander said inquisitively. "I can get behind that."

Sakuya then eyed the Salamander general curiously. "So how did you know that we'd be here, General Eugene?" she asked.

"We were told that you and Alicia would be here by Sigurd, your general," Eugene explained. "He made a deal with my brother that if he turned traitor, Mortimer would reincarnate him as a Salamander when the next update released. But knowing my brother, I doubt he would have held up his end of the bargain."

"I see," Sakuya said. "I thought Sigurd was acting weird recently." She turned to the Cait Sith leader. "Rue, have you raised your dark magic skill since we last met?"

"Yep," the Cait Sith leader said with a nod.

"I need you to open a «Moonlight Mirror» to Sigurd," the Sylph leader requested.

Alicia happily obliged and chanted the spell. A large mirror then appeared in front of Sakuya and the small area they were in became darkened dome. The mirror showed the Sylph traitor sitting smugly behind a desk, completely unaware of the mirror's presence.

"Hello Sigurd," Sakuya said, startling the male Sylph.

"S-Sakuya," Sigurd struggled to say.

"Nice to see you too. Unfortunately for you I'm still alive," Sakuya said.

"How… I mean, how did the meeting go?" Sigurd asked.

"It went by smoothly, but we still have to sign the treaty," Sakuya replied. "But we had an unexpected guest." Sigurd's eyes widened in shock. "I believe you know General Eugene," the Sylph lord continued, "and he sends his regards."

"But how?" Sigurd asked before he saw his former party members with their brothers behind them, along with the Salamander general himself. "Of course. Leafa, Recon and Thorrnn." He then put on a smug look. "So what are you going to do now Sakuya? Am I going to have to pay a fine or are you going to remove my command? Remember that without me leading your army, you won't be in power for very long."

Sakuya smirked, clearly not backing down. "Actually, since you can't stand being a Sylph I'll grant you the request you made with the Salamanders," she said as she opened her menu.

"What?!" Sigurd exclaimed as he got a notification and read it. "You're banishing me?!"

"I'm letting you live to wander the neutral territory as a renegade," Sakuya said in a serious tone. "How you occupy your time will be up to you."

Sigurd tried to say something but was teleported out of the room he was in. Alicia then ended the effect of her spell, causing the mirror and dome to disappear. The Cait Sith lord then crossed her arms behind her neck again.

Eugene looked impressed at the Sylph leader's actions. "Impressive," the Salamander said. "If it was up to me, I'd kill him for his betrayal, but you showed him mercy. A rare quality in a leader."

Sakuya sighed in contempt. "I do my best to avoid violence when necessary. Sigurd will not be easily replaced. Despite his ego, he was a skilled player." She turned towards her fellow Sylphs. "Thank you for saving us Leafa, Recon, Thorrnn. I'm very grateful for everything you've done."

"Well, we didn't do that much," Recon replied while gesturing to the SAO Survivors. "Marth and Kirito were the ones who did everything."

The Darkness Duo simply shrugged.

Sakuya, Alicia, Eugene, along with the diplomats and soldiers then left to prepare for the fight ahead, leaving the Spriggans alone with Leafa, Thorrnn, and Recon.

"I can't believe you pulled it off, Marth, Kirito," Thorrnn said. "Or should I say 'Frank' and 'Kazuto'?"

The Spriggans eyed the green-haired Sylph in confusion. "How do you know our real names?" Kirito questioned.

Marth's eyes then widened in disbelief. "No way. Is that you, Meg?"

Thorrnn nodded. "Hey, bro," she said with a smirk. "By the way, Leafa is Suguha."

"What?!" the Darkness Duo exclaimed in shock.

Leafa, who had been silent since the duel ended, eyed her friend and said, "Wh-why'd you tell them that?!"

"Because you didn't look like you would tell them anytime soon. Besides, I think there's something you need to tell your brother."

"Huh?" Kirito said, while Leafa blushed in embarrassment. "Tell me what?"

"I-I may have developed a crush on you, Kazuto," Leafa admitted slowly. "While my feelings for you in real life is platonic, it was something more with Kirito."

"Sugu," Kirito said slowly. "I'm sorry. I never intended for this to happen."

Leafa shook her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's not your fault, it's mine. Don't worry, I'll get over it. I'm guessing those two people you guys talked about are Asuna and Yuuki, right? Who else would you guys be risking yourselves so much for?"

The Darkness Duo nodded.

"Yeah, it's them," Marth confessed. "Asuna is set to marry this dastard named Sugou four days from now, which is why we were in such a rush to get reach the top of the World Tree."

"Now it all makes sense," Thorrnn said with determination. "Well you can count on me for support. This is my fight as much as yours."

"As will I," Leafa added.

"Don't forget me!" Recon said. "I'm coming too!"

Since they had nothing to do until tomorrow, the group then decided to return to Arun, so they could log out.

**Meanwhile**

Asuna and Yuuki were alone in their cage. Sugou/Oberon had just left for work and wouldn't be back for a few hours.

"Now?" Asuna asked her friend.

"Now," Yuuki said with a nod.

The duo hurried to the keypad and entered the code to open the cage door. The door opened, allowing the girls to exit.

"Finally," Asuna said. "We've got to find a console, so we can log out of here. C'mon!"

They hurried down the branch pathway and entered the World Tree through a cave-like entrance that had a metal door. The girls proceeded down a brightly-lit hallway before coming across a map. Their eyes filled with disgust as they saw one of the rooms labeled as the experiment room.

"That must be where Sugou's keeping the other players," Yuuki guessed.

"I can't believe that he would do something so cruel," Asuna said bitterly. "There must be a console there. Let's go."

The girls cautiously went down the hallway before arriving at the experiment room. When they went inside, they found the whole room filled with many pillar-like objects, with each object projecting the hologram of a human brain.

"No," Asuna said as she cupped her mouth with her hands.

Yuuki approached one of the pillars and read the data that was being shown. "Sugou's making them suffer from negative emotions," she said. "He must be close to gaining control of the human soul."

"This is wrong," Asuna replied. "We have to free them."

"Yeah, but we need to free ourselves first. Once we get back to the real world, we let everyone know what going on here and they'll free the players."

The Lightning Flash slowly nodded. "You're right. There's nothing we can do here."

The duo soon heard the door open and hid behind some of the pillars as four humans entered the lab. They didn't notice Asuna and Yuuki and proceeded to analyze the data on their test subjects.

"Now what?" Yuuki whispered.

Asuna noticed a system console on her right and muttered, "I'll distract them. While they're busy chasing me, get to that console and log out."

Yuuki's eyes widened in shock. "But then you'll get caught again. I can't just leave you here."

"You have to," Asuna pleaded. "One of us has to escape and tell the authorities."

"But…"

"I'll be fine. Just go." Asuna then stood up and shouted, "Hey!"

The four workers turned towards the Lightning Flash. "Looks like someone escaped from her cage," one of them said. "Get her!"

Yuuki watched as Asuna ran out of the room, leading the men away.

"Be careful, Asuna," the Absolute Sword said before hurrying to the console. Once she interacted with it, she hurried to select the option to log out. However, before she could confirm it, she was stopped by Sugou, who had just logged on.

"Well, well, well," Sugou said cynically. "Just what are you doing here?"

**To be continued**


	27. Battle of the World Tree

**January 23rd, 2025**

Marth, Kirito, Leafa, Thorrnn, and Recon met up at the base of the World Tree. Eugene, Sakuya, and Alicia Rue had gathered all their forces, along with some unexpected help from the Undines and Imps, and were ready for the difficult battle ahead. Marth could even spot some Spriggans among the crowd.

The Darkness Duo was shocked at how many players had come to their aid. "Incredible," Kirito said in awe. "Not even the Assault Team had this many players for a boss raid."

Eugene smirked. "We notified the other races on the situation, and they all wanted to help," the Salamander explained. "The Leprechauns enhanced our weapons and gear, the Undines, Spriggans and Imps chose to join us for the raid, while the Pookas and Gnomes will join us shortly."

As if on que, several squads of Pookas and Gnomes arrived, ready for battle.

"Cool," Marth said.

"Well then, Darkness Duo," Sakuya said. "Any rallying words before we begin?"

The two Spriggans eyed each other and nodded.

"Listen up, everyone," Kirito called out, getting everyone's attention. "I want to thank you all for offering your help in this fight. I won't lie, even with all of us working together, this battle won't be easy, but we can't back down. There are too many lives at stake. Someone is holding 300 SAO Survivors captive here, and we have to free them! Are you with me?"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted.

Marth opened the gate leading into the tree as the players all drew their weapons and summoned their wings. The Cait Sith, on the other hand, mounted their dragoons.

"Now!" Marth shouted as the raid group flew into the World Tree, advancing to the door at the ceiling of the room.

The guardians immediately spawned in and intercepted them. Sakuya and Alicia stayed near the back to give orders, while Marth, Kirito, Leafa, Thorrnn, Eugene, and Recon were in the front.

Three guardians charged at the Dark Swordsman, who cut two of them to ribbons while Thorrnn killed the third.

"Thanks," Marth said.

"No prob," Thorrnn said with a smirk.

Eugene's Demonic Sword Gram proved its usefulness by allowing him to bypass the guardians' weapons and cut them down.

"This is too easy," the Salamander said arrogantly. Ten guardians then flew to attack him, but they were all destroyed by Kirito, Leafa, and Recon.

"Don't get cocky," Kirito warned as he tightened his grip on his sword. "The real battle starts now."

As if on que, an immense number of guardians blocked the way to the top like a blockade.

Leafa gritted her teeth in frustration. "Great. Now what?"

The fairies tried to push forward, past the blockade, but failed. If it wasn't for the Undines using their healing spells, they would've been wiped out.

"There's too many of them!" One player shouted.

Marth then found himself surrounded by guardians.

"Brother!" Thorrnn shouted in worry as the guardians prepared to attack the Spriggan.

_No,_ the Dark Swordsman said to himself, as his eyes turned silver. _This can't be the end. I won't let it._ Suddenly, in another dimension, a strange silver robot stirred. Meanwhile, a silver aura surrounded the Spriggan, which strangely resembled a large dragon.

"What the?" Kirito said in confusion.

Suddenly multiple guardians that were engaging the players redirected their focus onto the Dark Swordsman, but they were destroyed by his aura before they even got close to him.

"How is Marth doing that?!" Recon exclaimed.

Marth's aura then faded, and his eyes returned to blue. He seemed to be in a daze. "What just… happened?" he asked himself in confusion as his friends flew over to him.

"Dude, you just wiped out a whole squad of guardians with a dragon aura," Kirito praised. "You never told me you could do that."

Marth stared at his left palm. "I didn't even know I could do that," he admitted. "It was almost like I tapped into some unknown power or something."

"Think you can do it again?" Thorrnn questioned.

"I don't know, but I can try." Marth closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly a dark aura appeared around him, slowly resembling a wolf before disappearing. Marth opened his eyes and shook his head. "It's no use. I don't even know what to look for."

Kirito sighed in contempt. "Guess it can't be helped," the Black Swordsman said. "You probably just need some practice."

"Uh, guys," Recon said nervously. "Shouldn't we get back in the fight?"

Leafa smirked. "Yeah. C'mon, Kazuto!"

Kirito smiled. "Right behind you, Leafa!"

The Kirigaya siblings flew to rejoin the battle, with Marth, Thorrnn and Recon close behind them.

"Warriors. Prepare for battle!" Sakuya commanded. All of the players roared out a battle cry and began to fight the guardians.

Whenever one of the fairies were in danger, another would come to their aid. The massive room was lit by the flames of dragoons and Salamanders, energy blasts from the Sylphs and the Undines, and darkened by the Imps' dark magic spells.

"We won't lose here again!" Marth exclaimed as he cut through six enemies at once with Lunara.

"You guardians are in our way!" Kirito exclaimed as he killed the same number.

"Destroy them all!" Eugene ordered. "We must push forward!"

Some of the guardians changed their targets to Sakuya and Alicia and charged at them. The female players prepared to engage them, but Leafa, Recon, and Thorrnn came to their rescue as they cut down their foes.

"Leave the fighting to us, Alicia," Thorrnn told the Cait Sith leader. "Just focus on leading the troops."

"Same to you, Sakuya," Leafa added. "It wouldn't due if we let our leaders die here."

The lords smiled and went back to their normal duty while Leafa and Thorrnn joined the fray. The green-haired Sylph cut down any guardian that came close while the blonde Sylph went to help her brother.

"Hey, Meg!" Marth called out.

"What is it?" Thorrnn asked as she flew to her brother.

"Can you watch my back?" the Spriggan asked.

"You got it," Thorrnn replied as they flew back to back.

The two sibling duos worked as one, killing any guardians who dared to try and fight them. They kept ascending towards the blockade.

"Follow their lead!" Alicia shouted. "Attack together!"

The entire raid group fought in unison and killed tons of the guardians with their ranged attacks. They even managed to open a gap in the guardians' blockade.

"Now's your chance, Kirito, Marth!" Eugene shouted with authority. "Go now!"

"Okay," Kirito and Marth said in sync as they flew towards the gap.

Suddenly a large group of guardians appeared in front of the duo in an attempt to stop their advance.

"Frank/Kazuto catch!" Thorrnn and Leafa exclaimed together as they threw their swords to their respective brothers.

"Thanks, Sugu," Kirito muttered as he grabbed his sister's katana with his left hand.

"You too, Meg," Marth whispered as he caught his sister's sword the same way.

A swarm of guardians flew towards the dual wielders, but the players responded by bringing their swords on top of each other and thrusted as they flew upward. The symbols of the Sylphs and the Spriggans appeared at the tip of Kirito and Marth's swords. The symbols then quickly disappeared, and a barrier of blue light surrounded the Darkness Duo as they drastically increased their speed. The guardians were simply knocked away as the fairies pushed through.

"You can do it, Frank," Thorrnn said to herself. "Give it everything you've got."

"Don't give up, Kazuto," Leafa muttered.

"Go!" the female duo shouted together.

Marth and Kirito let out a battle cry as their eyes became yellow. They then successfully broke through the blockade and stuck their swords in the pathway. The gap then quickly filled back up.

Below the blockade, Sakuya smiled when she saw that their role was fulfilled. "We're clearing out," she told the troops. "Fall back now!"

All the other fairies started to retreat and head for the exit on the ground. Leafa and Thorn, on the other hand, simply stared at the guardian blockade for a few moments.

"Keep flying, Kazuto and Frank," Leafa said, even though she knew the boys wouldn't hear her. "Keep flying as long as you can."

"Never give up. And never give in," Thorrnn added. "Save Asuna and Yuuki."

"Thorrnn, Leafa. It's time to go," Alicia told the duo.

"She's right," Eugene agreed. "We've done our part. It's all up to Kirito and Marth now."

The female players turned and flew to the exit. Meanwhile, Marth and Kirito were having trouble opening the door. They had landed on it, but for some reason the door wouldn't open. They also had put their siblings' swords in their inventory.

"Now what do we do?" Marth asked.

"I don't know. Yui. Can you see if you can get a read on the door?" Kirito replied.

"I'll do my best, Daddy," Yui said as she flew out of the Spriggan's pocket. She then put her hands on the door to scan it. "Daddy, Uncle Marth. There's something odd with this door. It's not locked by a quest flag. It's locked by the system administrator."

"What's that mean?" Kirito asked his daughter.

"This is restricted access," Yui answered. "This door was never intended to be opened by a player."

"What?!" the Darkness Duo shouted in shock.

They didn't have much time to think because more guardians were starting to spawn and surround them. Yui flew over to her father and struggled to come up with a solution. Suddenly they noticed a silver aura appear around Marth, who looked to be in a trance. Strands of data started appearing around the Dark Swordsman, who seemingly absorbed them.

"Marth, what are you doing?" Kirito questioned.

Marth didn't answer as he sheathed Lunara and knelt before placing his right hand on the door, transferring some unknown code into it. Soon the door began to open.

"I've overridden the system," Marth said with no emotion in his voice. "We're about to teleport. You guys might want to hold on."

Both Kirito and Yui were confused but each took one of Marth's hands before they were teleported away.

**To be continued**


	28. The Final Battle

"Daddy. Uncle Marth. Wake up," Yui said to her family.

Marth and Kirito opened their eyes and found themselves on their knees. Yui was in front of them and was in her normal form. Marth had also lost his silver aura. They were in a white hallway which was completely empty.

"Where are we?" Kirito asked as he looked around.

"I don't know," Yui replied. "There's no map data here."

The fairies started to panic. "Can you find Asuna and Yuuki's location?" Marth asked his niece.

"I'll try," Yui said before closing her eyes. "They're close. Very close. Follow me." She opened her eyes and stood up. She then started to run down the hallway, prompting the fairies to follow.

After a few turns, the group found themselves on one of the World Tree's branches.

"This is the top of the World Tree?" Marth said in confusion.

Kirito looked up and saw nothing but branches and leaves. "There's supposed to be a floating city up here but there isn't," the Spriggan said before gritting his teeth in anger. "The whole 'Grand Quest' was a lie all along. Sugou will pay for this." Yui nervously grabbed her father's hand. "But it'll be after we get Asuna and Yuuki out of here."

Marth's eyes widened when he saw a familiar bird cage in the distance. "Kirito. Look," he said as he pointed towards the cage.

The black-eyed Spriggan gasped before breaking into run towards the cage. The rest of the group followed after him. Marth was relieved that the path they were on was headed straight for the cage.

**Later**

It was sunset when they arrived at the cage, however, it was empty, much to the players' shock.

"What?" Kirito said in disbelief. "Asuna and Yuuki should be here. They _have_ to be here!"

Marth gritted his teeth. "Yui, are you sure they're here?" the Spriggan asked.

Yui looked just as confused as her family. "I don't understand," the AI said. "Mommy and Auntie's location data says that they're right here."

The Black Swordsman gasped in realization. "Hey, Marth," Kirito said slowly. "Remember how you opened the door to get us here?"

Marth nodded. "Sort of. I don't know how I did it, it was almost like I somehow hacked into the system without a console. What about it?"

"Did you check to make sure there weren't any alarm systems in place when you opened it?"

Marth's eyes widened. "No, but then that means… this is a trap!"

As if on que, the area changed to a black room with a clear green floor. A large white circle, with a small black hole in the middle, was in the center of the floor.

"What's going on?!" Kirito exclaimed.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice said. "Look what the cat dragged in. Two wannabe heroes and a rouge AI. Must be my lucky day."

The Black Swordsman grunted in anger. "That voice," he said. "Sugou!"

Sure enough, the Fairy King approached the trio with his usual smug expression.

"That's where you're wrong, Kirito, or should I say 'Kazuto Kirigaya'," Sugou replied egotistically. "In this world, I am called the Fairy King, Oberon."

Marth smirked as Yui hid behind him and Kirito. "You do know that's just an in-game title, right?" Marth remarked. "You're not the king of anything."

"But I will be in time," Sugou said as he eyed the Dark Swordsman. "I do wonder how you managed to get here. Nothing can bypass my firewalls, yet you managed to do so anyway. I knew there was something special about you, Frank Storm, that's why I tried to redirect your mind to my server when SAO ended, but something interfered, so I chose to grab Yuuki instead, along with Asuna and 300 hundred other SAO players."

"So you are the one responsible for this!" the Darkness Duo shouted in rage.

Sugou smiled cynically. "Of course, and thanks to their dedicated 'cooperation', my research to control the human brain is nearly complete."

"What are you talking about?" Kirito demanded.

"Did you two seriously think I went through all this trouble to set up this world for fun? I've been using my little test subjects on how to control human emotions and even alter their very memories. I'm about to achieve something impossible, total control of the human soul!"

Kirito glared at the mad king. "You're sick," he said in disgust. "Why would anyone want that kind of technology?! It's wrong!"

Sugou let out a cackle. "You'd be surprised, Kazuto Kirigaya. Allow me to show you the fruits of my efforts." Sugou snapped his fingers, causing Asuna to appear in front of him, but her eyes were dark and unresponsive.

"Mommy!" Yui exclaimed with joy. She tried to run to her, but Marth stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

"Hold on," Marth warned his niece, sensing something amiss. "Something isn't right."

"How observant, Dark Swordsman," Sugou said arrogantly. "My research has allowed me to gain total control of Asuna, or should I say, Titania. Any feelings she held for you, Kirito, are long gone."

Kirito gasped in shock. "No," he said desperately. "Tell me it isn't true, Asuna! Please!"

"My name isn't Asuna," the Lightning Flash said slowly. "My name is Titania, bride of Fairy King, Oberon."

"I have to admit," Sugou said as he held Asuna's chin in his hand, who didn't react at all. "She put up quite a fight trying to resist me, but she failed in the end." His eyes then turned to Marth. "And soon, Yuuki will be my next slave."

Marth gritted his teeth in anger. "No. I won't allow it!"

"Like I'd let you interfere," Sugou said. "Titania, my love, take care of these pests."

Suddenly a rapier appeared in Asuna's hand. "As you wish, Oberon," Asuna replied as she slowly approached the trio.

Marth reached for Lunara but was stopped when Kirito drew his and got into a fighting stance. "I'll handle this, Marth," Kirito said quickly. "You and Yui need to save Yuuki."

"But Daddy," Yui objected.

"We don't have time to argue about this," Kirito insisted. "If Sugou manages to break Yuuki like he did with Asuna, then we're in big trouble. Now go!"

Marth grunted in frustration before taking a deep breath. "All right," the Dark Swordsman said. "But watch yourself. Asuna's no pushover."

"I know."

Kirito then charged at Asuna and locked swords with her while Marth and Yui hurried out of the room. Sugou simply watched in amusement as the Black Swordsman tried to fend off the Lightning Flash.

Meanwhile Marth and Yui ran down the hallway and saw two security guards up ahead.

"You! Halt!" one of the guards ordered.

Marth drew Lunara from its scabbard and said, "I don't think so." He proceeded to cut down the security guards with ease, causing them to shatter into polygons.

"Yui, can you find Yuuki?" Marth asked his niece.

The AI nodded. "When Sugou sprung his trap, Auntie's false location data was deactivated. I know where she really is now. This way." Yui hurried down one pathway, with Marth close behind her.

It wasn't long until they heard a familiar voice crying out in pain.

"Yuuki!" Marth shouted as loud as he could.

Marth and Yui followed the sound of Yuuki's screams into the experiment room, where they found the Absolute Sword restrained to a table and being experimented on by four scientists. A strange purple lightning was incasing Yuuki, which was the source of her pain.

"Stay out of my head!" Yuuki cried out as she struggled from her restraints. "Leave me alone!"

"Man, she's even more stubborn than the other one," one scientist complained. "No one's been able to resist our reprogramming for this long." Suddenly the scientist found himself impaled in the chest by Lunara, causing his avatar to shatter.

The remaining scientists were shocked by the Dark Swordsman's sudden appearance, and his cold expression. "Let. Her. Go. Now!" Marth ordered.

The scientists paled at the menacing aura that the swordsman gave off, prompting them to obey and release Yuuki, who was quickly picked up by Marth.

"Now leave, while you still can!" Marth shouted in rage.

The scientists then turned tail and ran, leaving the trio alone.

"Marth," Yuuki said slowly as she stirred in her boyfriend's arms. "Is it… really you?"

The Spriggan gave the Absolute Sword a light smile. "Yeah. Sorry I took so long to get here." He then set Yuuki down on the ground, where she nearly fell as Yui tackled her.

"Aunt Yuuki!" Yui exclaimed with joy.

"Wha… Yui?!" Yuuki said in shock. "How are you…?"

"It's a long story," Marth said. "We have to get back to Kirito now. I don't know how much longer he can hold off Asuna."

Yuuki's eyes darkened. "No," she said in dread. "So they did manage to break her after all. We have to save Asuna!"

"I know, but how?"

"If we can somehow gain control of Sugou's mind altering tech, we might be able to reverse what he's done to Asuna."

Marth nodded in acknowledgement. "Sounds like a plan. Yui, think you can do it?"

"I can try," Yui replied. The AI placed her hands on the console and began assimilating the data that was inside. "I found it!" Yui said. "I'll only be able to use it once before the system blocks me out, but we should be able to save Mommy now."

"Then let's go!" Marth said before the trio hurried out.

When they returned to Kirito, they saw that he was losing to Asuna, though it was clear that he was holding back. Sugou was shocked at seeing the group's arrival.

The Black Swordsman glanced over his shoulder, towards the trio and said, "About time you guys got back. Good to see you again, Yuuki."

"Likewise," Yuuki replied. "Do your thing, Yui!"

"You got it, Auntie!" Yui exclaimed before accessing the system. Suddenly Asuna was struck by a purple lightning bolt, causing her to collapse. Thankfully, Kirito caught her before she hit the ground.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted in concern.

The Lightning Flash slowly opened her eyes, which were back to normal. "Kirito," she said slowly. "What's…?"

The Black Swordsman sighed in relief. "Thank God. You're back to normal," Kirito said.

Asuna looked confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Meanwhile, Sugou looked furious. "No!" the Fairy King shouted. "This can't be happening! Not when I'm so close!"

The two couples then surrounded Sugou. "You're going to pay for everything you've done," Marth said fiercely.

"Big time!" Yuuki added.

Sugou gritted his teeth before cracking an evil grin. "You may have freed Asuna from my control," he said. "But can you do the same for yourselves?"

"Huh?" Marth and Kirito said in confusion.

Suddenly the Darkness Duo were struck by two purple lightning bolts, sending them falling to their knees as purple electricity surrounded them. Both Spriggans shouted in pain as they could feel Sugou trying to edit their brains to fit his needs.

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted in worry.

"Marth!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"Daddy! Uncle Marth!" Yui shouted.

Sugou laughed cynically. "It's pointless to resist," he said arrogantly. "Soon, you will be loyal to me, and me alone. It won't be long now."

In Marth's mind, he was sinking into a dark abyss. _Where am I? Why is this happening? Is this a punishment for thinking I was some kind of hero?_ Marth thought. _For thinking that Kirito and I were strong enough to save Yuuki and Asuna? I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was._

"Are you giving up?" asked a familiar voice. "Are you surrendering?"

"No. I'm just facing reality," Marth replied.

"Then you are giving up," the voice said. "You're giving into the power of the system you and Kirito once defied."

"But what choice do I have?" Marth said. "I'm just a player while Sugou's a GM. How can I win against that?"

"Then our battle was what…a joke?" the voice replied. A man wearing a plaid long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and black cowboy boots appeared next to the fairy at eye level. "Do you remember how you and Kirito showed me and Kayaba that the power of the human will was superior to the system that day? How you two had showed us the possibility of the future?"

Marth's eyes widened when he saw who it was. "You're…" the Spriggan said he as looked up at the man.

"Get up Marth," Brandon Lowell told the ex-solo player. "Get up."

With his confidence restored, Marth released a bright silver light as a strange x-shaped silver crystal appeared gleaming on his chest.

Back in the virtual world, Marth let out a howl as he began absorbing the electricity surrounding both him and Kirito, much to everyone's shock.

"What the?" Sugou questioned.

"That attack was weak!" Marth declared as he and his fellow Spriggan slowly rose to their feet. "The enemies we fought in SAO hit way harder than that."

"And they hurt way more!" Kirito finished.

Sugou looked ready to panic. "Impossible!" he exclaimed. "No one can resist my brain-altering technology!"

"System log in," Kirito said. "ID Heathcliff."

"What? Whose ID are you using?" Sugou demanded.

"Don't forget me. System log in," Marth said as purple lightning discharged from his body. "ID Zelgius."

The Darkness Duo was surrounded by the system menu.

"System command. Enable administrative privileges," Kirito requested.

"System command. Revoke ID Oberon's administrative status," Marth said.

Sugou then got an alert saying that he lost his admin credentials. "Impossible. There can't be an ID that outranks mine," Sugou said as he tried to access the system. "I'm the creator of this world. I control it. I'm its king. Its god."

"You're wrong, Sugou," Kirito said. "You stole everything in this world, including its people."

"You're just an egotistic thief sitting alone on a stolen throne," Marth added.

Sugou glared at the duo. "You little brats. You dare talk to me like that?!" he said before stretching his arm out. "System command. Generate object. ID Excalibur." But nothing happened. Sugou angrily stomped on the ground, still believing that he had his GM powers. "Do what I say, you piece of crap. System, your god is ordering you to comply."

"What an idiot," Marth commented as he watched the grown man rant in rage.

"This is almost sad to watch," Yuuki added, getting a nod from Asuna and Yui.

Kirito looked over at Asuna. "Do you think you can wait a bit longer?" he asked. "This will just take a second."

Asuna smiled and said, "Take him down hard."

Kirito nodded putting on a serious face and looked up. "System command. Generate object. ID Excalibur," Kirito commanded, and much to Sugou's shock, the legendary sword appeared before the new GM. "Who knew a simple command was all it took to summon a legendary weapon?" The Spriggan grabbed the hilt of the golden sword and tossed it to Sugou, who caught it with both hands.

The Darkness Duo then drew their swords in response and pointed the tips of the blades at Sugou. The former GM's eyes were filled with fear.

"It's time to settle this once and for all," Marth said. "The King of Thieves versus the Gilded Heroes."

"System command. Set Pain Absorber to 0," Kirito said. The notice appeared and showed the change.

"No. Not that," Sugou said in fear.

"Did you flinch just now?" Kirito said fiercely. "Because the other guys never flinched no matter how bad it got."

"I believe you know them," Marth added. "Akihiko Kayaba and Brandon Lowell."

Sugou narrowed his eyes in rage. "K-Kayaba and Brandon," the Fairy King exclaimed. "Oh, I see. Those were their IDs. You're both supposed to be dead, so why are you two still getting in my way?" He swung Excalibur around in random directions as if trying to attack the SAO creators. "You two were always like this. You both acted like big shots and took everything that was rightfully mine!"

"Sugou. In a way Marth and I can understand," Kirito replied. "We lost to them too, and I even had to go work for them back in Aincrad." He smirked smugly. "But there's one key difference. No matter what happened, we never wanted to be them. Unlike you."

"You-you bastards!" Sugou exclaimed in rage as he swung Excalibur at Kirito, who effortlessly blocked every attack with his sword.

Sugou then lunged at the Spriggan, but the latter just sidestepped out of the way and scratched the former's cheek. Sugou held his face and whimpered in pain.

"Hurts. Doesn't it?" Marth said coldly as he walked over to the Fairy King, who was now acting like a coward. "But that's nothing compared to what you made Yuuki, Asuna and all those other players feel. Not even close!?" Marth swung Lunara down, which was emitting purple lightning, prompting Sugou to raise his sword arm in defense, but Marth easily cut it off. The amputated portion of the arm disintegrated before it hit the ground while Excalibur landed with a thud.

Sugou stepped back in fear as he held his severed stump and was electrocuted from the attack. "Ow! My hand! My hand!" he exclaimed in pain before Marth promptly cut him in half at the waist. The Fairy King's lower half was destroyed and the rest of Sugou fell to the ground.

Marth turned towards his partner. "All yours pal," the Dark Swordsman said casually.

Kirito nodded in acknowledgement. "Got it," he said before walking over to Sugou and picked him up by his hair. The Spriggan stared at him and saw a face full of fear. Kirito growled in frustration before tossing Sugou into the air and stabbing him in the left eye, killing the Fairy King and causing his body to disintegrate. The Spriggans then swung their swords a few times before sheathing them. Marth's aura also faded and the crystal on his chest disappeared without a trace.

They were then embraced in a tight hug by their girlfriends and Yui.

"I knew you'd save us, Kirito." Asuna said. "I never doubted you for a second. You or Marth." She eyed the blue-eyed Spriggan when she said the last part. "You're both heroes."

Kirito shook his head. "You're wrong. I'm no hero." The Spriggan replied before ending the hug. "But I'll try my best to be one."

"You guys really Sugou whose boss," Yuuki cheered.

"You were awesome, Daddy, Uncle Marth," Yui added.

The Darkness Duo chuckled. "Thanks, guys," Kirito said. "Now then, I think it's time to get you both back to the real world."

Asuna sighed in relief. "Finally, we can go back. This feels like a dream," she said. "Kirito, I want you to be the first face I see when I wake up in the real world."

The Black Swordsman nodded. "Of course. I'll head over as soon as I can."

"I'll head over too, Yuuki," Marth added.

The Absolute Sword cracked a grin. "You better hurry over or I'm gonna find you myself."

"That's not a good idea," the other players said in sync.

Marth and Kirito then used their admin privileges to log out Asuna and Yuuki. They then released the other SAO Survivors that Sugou held captive and deleted his research.

"No one should have this power," Marth said.

"Agreed," Kirito replied. "I think it's finally over. What do you think, Heathcliff, Zelgius?"

As if on cue, Kayaba and Brandon appeared before the two players and AI.

"Congratulations to you both," Kayaba said.

"Are you two alive?" Marth asked curiously.

"In a way, yes. We are echoes of the men you knew," Brandon explained. "A digital afterimage."

"And of course, I have no idea what you're saying," Marth said. "But I guess Kirito and I should thank you two for helping us defeat Sugou."

Kayaba shook his head. "There's no need for thanks," Kayaba replied. "But we're not exactly friends so we can't exchange favors without a price."

"Okay. So what do you want us to do?" Kirito asked before an orange egg with a red core descended towards the black-eyed Spriggan. "What's this?"

"This is World Seed. We want you and Marth to decide its fate. Once it sprouts, you'll know what it is," Kayaba explained. "If you and Marth still have a fondness for the virtual world, then take care of the Seed. But if you don't, then you can delete it."

"I hope that we all meet again someday," Brandon said before he and his partner disappeared.

"Well that was weird," Marth said.

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Definitely," he said before facing his daughter. "Yui, Marth and I are going to log out, so we can see Asuna and Yuuki. We'll be back to visit soon, I promise. But I don't know how much longer this world will last once we tell the authorities what Sugou has been up to here."

Yui gave her family a bright smile. "Don't worry, Daddy," she replied. "My core programming is saved onto your NerveGear, so we'll always be together. Say hi to Mommy and Auntie for me."

"We will," Marth said.

"I love you, Daddy, Uncle Marth."

Kirito smiled. "I love you too, Yui."

"So do I," the Dark Swordsman added.

The family shared a final hug before the players logged out. Frank opened his eyes and found himself in his bedroom with his sister sitting by him in a chair, waiting for him.

"It's about time you woke up. Is it over?" Meg asked as her older brother sat up while removing his NerveGear from his head and set it on his desk.

Frank brushed his hair with his hand and nodded. "Yeah. Yuuki and Asuna are back," he replied. "It's finally over."

Meg smiled. "Well what are you waiting for?" she said. "Go on. I'm sure Yuuki's waiting for you."

Frank nodded and quickly put on his boots and coat before hurrying outside, where he ran into Kazuto.

"Ready to go?" Kazuto asked his best friend.

"You bet."

The duo got their bikes and sped towards the hospital.

**To be continued**


	29. The World Seed

It didn't take long for Frank and Kazuto to reach the hospital. They quickly ran into to Sugou, who intended to kill them for interfering, but they quickly defeated him, but they also got a few cuts from Sugou's knife. Once they knocked him out, they called the police before heading into the hospital.

Kazuto then noticed something odd. "Hey, Frank," he said. "Your arm."

"Huh, what about it?" Frank looked at his right arm and saw that the cut on it was rapidly healing. "What the?"

"Now that I think about it, your injuries have always healed at a rapid rate," Kazuto mused. "I wonder why that is, though."

Frank shrugged. "Beats me," he said. "Anyway. Let's go see Asuna and Yuuki."

"Yeah."

The duo headed into the elevator and reached the floor their girlfriends were on. They then parted ways and entered their different rooms. Once inside, Frank could see Yuuki already sitting up from her bed with her NerveGear off. She was looking out the window, where it was snowing outside before facing her boyfriend with a smile.

"Hey, Marth," Yuuki said casually.

Frank couldn't help but smile as tears leaked from his eyes. "Hey, Yuuki." He quickly approached her and gently pulled her into a passionate kiss. Once they parted, Frank added, "It's all over."

"I'm so glad I finally got to meet you," Yuuki said. "I know you already know it, but my name is Yuuki Konno."

Frank wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "I'm Frank Storm. Welcome home, Yuuki."

The couple kissed again. As they kissed, Frank looked out the window and saw ghostly images of him and Yuuki in their SAO avatars holding hands. The avatars smiled at the sight before walking away with Kazuto and Asuna's avatars.

**Friday, May 16, 2025**

Frank was now attending the SAO Survivor School along with Kazuto, Asuna, and Yuuki. Frank shared all of his classes with Kazuto, to no one's surprise, and a few with some familiar faces. Their lunch period has just started so Frank and Kazuto went out to the school courtyard to meet up with Yuuki and Asuna, who were both sitting on opposing park benches.

"Thanks for waiting for us," Kazuto said as they sat by their girlfriends.

Frank let out a breath in exhaustion. "I'm worn out," he said. "I never thought school would be so exhausting."

Yuuki and Asuna both giggled in amusement. "You sound like an old man, Marth," Yuuki commented.

"Well I feel like I'm five years older in just the past month," Frank replied. "And we're in the real world so it's 'Frank', not 'Marth'. It's bad manners to reveal character names here."

Yuuki's eyes widened in shock. "Whoops. My bad. I'm just so used to calling you 'Marth' that it just happens. But everyone will know me and Asuna because we used our real names for our avatars."

Kazuto cracked a smirk. "Don't feel too bad, Yuuki. Since everyone here was in SAO, we all know who everyone is anyway." He placed his hand on top of Asuna's. "How are you two doing physically, by the way? Are you guys still in rehab?"

Asuna nodded. "I can finally walk around without my crutches."

"So can I," Yuuki added. "Though it will take a while before I'm cleared to run around."

Asuna then looked a little nervous. "Um, Kirito, Marth, you do realize everyone can see us in the cafeteria?"

The boys quickly flinched as they forgot about that little detail, much to Yuuki's amusement.

The Lightning Flash sighed in defeat. "Honestly," she continued. "That little oversight is gonna cost you lunch."

Kazuto brought his hands together apologetically. "Sorry."

Asuna then revealed a picnic basket, which contained four sandwiches. "You better eat up," she said. "Yuuki and I spent the whole morning making them."

The group then began to chow down.

"Hey Asuna, how's your dad doing?" Yuuki asked curiously.

"RECT Progress is in pretty bad shape after the Alfheim Incident. Dad ended up resigning as CEO and took an early retirement," Asuna explained. "I think he also wants to relinquish some of his remaining duties too. I hope he'll find a hobby that he'll enjoy soon."

"I heard that when Sugou was arrested, he tried to blame Kayaba and Brandon for everything but caved in when one of his employees cracked," Frank took over. "I'm glad that the other 300 hundred SAO Survivors he held captive are all okay. They don't even remember the experiments, and that's probably for the best."

Yuuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I wish the same could be said for the VRMMO Industry," she said. "Sugou's actions nearly destroyed it, and Alfheim Online was shut down, along with any other games that were in development. But luckily you guys had something that saved it."

Kazuto smiled. "Yeah. The World Seed. It's basically a strip down version of the Cardinal System and people can use it to create their own virtual games," he replied. "We can even convert our avatars to other VRMMO games with all its skills intact. And luckily ALO was transferred to another company and is back online. We can now have unlimited flight and we can use Sword Skills again. It's just a shame that they didn't add «Dual-Wielding» to the list."

Asuna chuckled in amusement. "I'm sure you and Marth can recreate them since players are now able to make their Original Sword Skills," she said. "Yuuki's «Mother's Rosario» is still the only one with the highest amount of hits."

Yuuki smiled with pride. "I'd like to see anyone try to top it."

Frank cracked a grin. "Oh, really?" he said. "You do realize that «Starburst Stream» and «Eclipse» have way more hits than yours. Once Kazuto and I recreate them, you won't be the top dog anymore."

The Absolute Sword scratched her head sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. I forgot."

"By the way," Asuna spoke up. "Whatever happened to Kayaba and Brandon?"

"They're dead. The authorities found them and said that it was suicide," Frank replied. "When SAO collapsed Kayaba and Brandon did a high-output scan on their brains to copy themselves onto the Internet. It was a one-in-a-million chance of succeeding and their brains were fried in the process, but I know it worked since Kazuto and I met them in ALO."

The two then went to their different classes and had a relatively normal day. After school ended Frank met up with Kazuto at the front of the building.

"Hey Kazuto," Frank greeted.

"Hey," his fellow Spriggan player replied.

They had some classes together, some of which involved computers. Like the other teenage SAO Survivors, Frank and Kazuto had some difficulty adjusting to going to school again. The duo started to walk to their homes together.

"You gonna invite Sugu to the party tonight?" Frank asked.

Kazuto nodded. "Yeah. I'm guessing Meg will be joining us too?" he replied, getting a nod in response.

"Even though they weren't in SAO, it was because of their help that we saved Yuuki and Asuna," Frank said. "I think it's fair that we do something nice for them."

Meanwhile Rika (Lisbeth) was spying on the two couples through the cafeteria window. Ayano (Silica) and Victoria (Celina) were sitting across from her.

"Damn it!" Rika cursed. "Asuna's all over Kirito!"

Victoria chuckled in amusement. "What did you expect, Liz? They are a couple after all."

Rika groaned as she leaned back in her chair. "Why the hell did I let you convince me to wait a month to see how their relationship went?" she ranted. "Now it's too late!"

"I did warn you not to get your hopes up."

"By the way, Victoria," Ayano spoke up. "You don't look to be Japanese. Where are you from?"

"I'm from the United States, just like Marth and his sister," Victoria explained. "My mom's a nurse and she somehow managed to get a job here in Tokyo, so we ended up moving here. I was sad about it at first, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you all."

"Yeah," Rika agreed, having recovered from her distraught. "How about we open a new blacksmith shop in ALO."

Victoria simply smiled. "You got it, partner."

**Later**

Frank, Yuuki, Kazuto, Asuna, Sugu and Meg were walking to Dicey Café. The two couples were holding hands as they walked.

"Hey Meg, have you and Sugu ever met Agil before?" Frank asked.

His sister nodded. "We hunted with him a couple times in ALO. His avatar is huge," she replied.

"Well get ready, because he's that big in real life too," Yuuki said with a grin.

The group arrived at the café and saw that everyone else was already there. Frank could see Klein, Andrew, Rika, Victoria, Ayano, and a few other familiar faces.

"Are we late?" Kazuto asked as Rika and Victoria approached them.

"No. We just told you a later time, so everyone could get here," Rika explained. "It wouldn't make any sense for the guests of honor to show up before everyone else."

Victoria then grabbed Frank and Kazuto's arms and lead them inside. "Come on you two," she said. She then put the duo on a podium.

Everyone else raised their drinks and said, "Congratulations on clearing SAO, Kirito and Marth!"

Both Frank and Kazuto were surprised by this and got off the podium once the cheer was done.

"I didn't think they'd pull that on us," Frank said.

"Ditto," his best friend replied.

They walked over to the bar and took a seat.

"I'll take my usual," Frank told Andrew, which was a soda.

"I'll have some bourbon." Kazuto requested.

"Here you go," Andrew said as he slid the drinks to the duo.

Kazuto took a sip of his drink and realized, "Wait. This is iced tea."

Frank snickered. "Did you really think Agil would give an underage teenager alcohol?" he said as Klein took a seat next to the Dark Swordsman.

"Andrew. Give me the real thing," Klein requested as the bartender gave him the beverage. Klein then took a sip and said, "You haven't changed a bit, Kirito. It's almost refreshing."

"Kirito. Marth. Long time no see," said Thinker as he took a seat by them.

"Hey Thinker. Congrats on your marriage with Yulier," Kazuto said. "I hear you run the game information site called MMO Today."

Thinker scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah well, it's been pretty difficult adjusting to normal life but it's a good feeling," The former leader of the Aincrad Liberation Army replied. "All the mixed feelings of VRMMOs makes it tricky to put guides but things are getting better."

Frank nodded. "They do say that when the universe was created that there was chaos at first," he said before facing Andrew. "Is the after party still on?"

"Yup. Everyone's meeting up at Yggdrasil City just as planned," Andrew replied.

Meanwhile, both Sugu and Meg were sitting together and felt left out.

"I don't understand why both our brothers wanted us to come here," Meg said. "I can't really relate to everyone here like Frank can."

Suguha nodded. "It's funny. When we were little, we hardly spent any time with each other. It wasn't until the SAO Incident that we actually became close," the Sylph player replied.

"Yeah. I guess our brothers gave us a way to bond with each other," Meg agreed.

They were then joined by Asuna and Yuuki.

"Are you two having fun?" Asuna asked the duo.

Meg shrugged. "The party isn't bad," the Sylph player said. "It's just that Sugu and I feel a little out of place here."

The girls turned and looked at Frank and Kazuto talking with each other.

"Those two really are something," Yuuki said. "If you didn't know any better, you could say they were brothers."

"Yeah," Suguha agreed.

Meg then cracked a mischievous smirk and stood up. "Hey, Frank!" she called out. "Why don't you sing a song for us?"

Frank, who was drinking his soda, quickly spat it out.

"You can sing, Marth?!" Klein exclaimed in exasperation. Everyone else, except Kazuto and Sugu, were also surprised.

"I… uh… I'm okay, I guess," Frank said nervously.

"Well then sing something," Rika insisted. "We've got music and everything."

Frank shook his head. "No way," he huffed. "I only sing when I'm alone."

Suddenly he found both Yuuki and Asuna in front of him.

"C'mon, Marth," Yuuki said with a deceptively innocent smile. "It'll be fun."

"Yuuki's right," Asuna agreed. "What better way to celebrate than singing and dancing?"

Frank sighed in defeat. "You guys aren't giving me a choice, are you?" he asked in exasperation.

"Nope," the girls said.

Frank groaned before reluctantly approaching the podium, while also throwing a glare at his sister, who simply laughed. He turned on the speakers and began singing "Crossing Fields" through the microphone.

"Wow," Victoria said. "Frank's a good singer."

Yuuki nodded in agreement before eyeing the Sylph players. "You two should go to Yggdrasil City for the afterparty."

"I'm glad that they replaced Sugou's laboratory with an actual city," Asuna added. "Kirito and I even have an apartment there. I can't wait for tonight. I hear everyone is excited for the huge update that's coming in ALO."

Sugu raised an eyebrow. "I heard Kazuto talking about it for the past few days, but I'm still confused about it," she said. "I guess it'll make sense when I see it for myself."

Asuna shrugged. "That's the best way to understand something," The former vice commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath replied. "A lot of former SAO players are having their ALO avatars look the same their SAO ones. I know that Kirito and Marth changed their spikey hair for their old hair."

"Liz even made Kazuto a new longsword too," Victoria added. "It looks a heck of a lot better than that giant one he was using before. Seriously, why would he use that thing?"

"Simple," Yuuki said. "Because he's Kirito!"

"I heard that!" Kazuto shouted, prompting the girls to laugh.

It was getting late, so everyone headed home so they could log onto ALO for the new update that was coming.

**Later**

Marth found himself in the plaza in Yggdrasil City. He was now wearing a black overcoat with silver trimming and fur trimming at the collar, black pants and boots, as well as black fingerless gloves. Lunara was in a black sheath strapped to his back. His hair was now identical to his SAO avatar's, only black instead of brown. He looked at his right hand and made a fist. He then looked to the sky and smiled.

"I can't believe how crazy my life became ever since SAO," the Spriggan muttered to himself. "I can't help but feel that this is just the beginning. But I know that as long as I've my friends beside me, nothing will beat us."

"Marth! There you are!" a voice called out. Marth turned and saw that it was Kirito. The Spriggan was wearing the same overcoat as him but with gold trimming instead of silver, the rest of the outfit was the same as the latter with the exception of Kirito's new black longsword strapped to his back. He also changed his hair to match his SAO avatar's as well.

"What are you doing here? Everyone's waiting for you," Kirito said.

"Just thinking. We're not the same people we were when we were beta testers for SAO anymore," Marth replied. "I'm excited for what the future holds for all of us."

Kirito nodded with a smile. "Me too. I don't know would've happened if we never met. I'm proud to call you my best friend," The black-eyed Spriggan said before facing the sky. "C'mon, let's go or we'll miss it."

The duo then took off into the sky and saw all their friends hovering in the sky. Klein was a Salamander, Agil was a Gnome (which ironically is the biggest race in the game), Thinker, Yulier and Asuna were all Undines, Yuuki was an Imp, Silica was a Cait Sith with Pina by her side, and Lisbeth and Celina were Leprechauns (which are tinkers and blacksmiths and DON'T WEAR GREEN.) Yui was sitting on her mother's shoulder.

"About time you guys showed up," Klein told the new arrivals. "It's coming. Look."

Everyone looked up and saw a giant floating castle coming into view. It was none other than a revived Aincrad, a better version than the one from Sword Art Online. Marth looked around and saw more players than he could count who decided to explore the new realm. The players he could identify were Sakuya, Alicia, Eugene and Recon.

"This time we'll conquer all 100 floors of this _New_ Aincrad," Marth declared as Yuuki, Asuna, Leafa and Thorrnn flew over to join the duo, while everyone else flew to the floating castle. "I can't wait to see all the stuff that was put into it."

"I think it was smart to restart our stats," Kirito added as Yui flew and landed on his shoulder. "We'll be starting fresh and get stronger the right way."

"And we'll support you all the way," Leafa replied with Thorrnn nodding in agreement.

"Let's go or we'll be left behind," Yuuki said impatiently. She had Macuahuitl strapped to her waist in its purple scabbard. Apparently the new company running ALO gave it to her as a way of compensating for her imprisonment by Sugou. Marth did find it to be a stingy way of compensation, but Yuuki was the one who requested it with the developers offered and she seemed happy so he couldn't really complain. Macuahuitl had the same stats that it had back in Sword Art Online but this time it was considered a legendary weapon, just like Marth's beloved Lunara, and it was one-of-a-kind.

Before the group went to join the others, Marth and Kirito said something to the girls that none of them would ever forget.

As soon as they were done, Marth shouted, "Alright, let's go!" They all then took off towards New Aincrad where a new adventure awaits them.

**The End**


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